Senate blocks energy bill, as debate rages around Flint
Thursday February 4, 2016
The U.S. Senate voted Thursday to hold off moving forward on far reaching legislation designed to update the country's energy policies for the first time in almost a decade.
What was a bipartisan bill became bogged down this week over amendments to include funding to aid in the cleanup of the contaminated water supply in Flint, Mich.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, had requested $600 million be made available for Flint, pending a state review of the scope of the crisis due next week. But Republicans resisted such a large appropriation.
It seems like we're putting the cart before the horse,†said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.
A large block of Democrats voted Thursday to stop the bill from advancing without a Flint amendment, winning 54-43.
The move throws into question a bill that sought to reform policies across the energy sector, from hydroelectric dams to home efficiency to defense against cyber attacks on the power grid.
For the oil and gas industry, it would speed up the timetable on federal approval for liquefied natural gas export terminals, which drillers hope will ease what has become a supply glut in the United States, said Charlie Riedl, executive director of the Center for Liquefied Natural Gas.
Party leaders said after Thursday's vote they would continue to negotiate the terms of the energy bill, including a amendment for Flint.
We are confident we can work out the remaining issues through good-faith negotiations, including a solution for the water crisis in Flint,†Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, co-author of the energy bill, said in a statement.