August 2
The House of Representatives has
approved a wide ranging energy bill, Securing
America's Future Energy Act H.R. 4. The bill would provide tax breaks
and incentives of $33.5 billion over 10 years, which is more than the
administration had requested, about $27 billion of the amount would go to
energy producers such as coal, oil, and nuclear industries. The bill also
includes incentives for buying hybrid gasoline-electric cars, solar panels,
some high-efficiency appliances and improvements in building energy
efficiency. The bill: eases restrictions on energy production on federal
lands; calls for a study on oil and gas leasing; increases funding to help
low-income families pay heating and cooling bills; expands research into
clean coal technology; reduces oil industry royalties on some kinds of
drilling and allow the industry to pay royalties in kind; requires a small
increase in the fuel economy of sport utility vehicles and light trucks; and
opens 2,000 acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. The
bill does not address electricity deregulation, siting of power plants and
power lines, or renewal of liability insurance for nuclear power plants.
July 10
Fueled by increasing energy prices and a push for more fossil fuels, oil and
natural gas exploration is on the rise in the Rocky Mountain states. And
that means new jobs and new business after a long dry spell.
June 18
Williams will expand Northwest Pipeline in Washington
State. Construction on the new pipeline segments is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2002.
May 25
A federal advisory panel Thursday urged the Bush administration to identify
the five most promising areas to drill for natural gas in coastal waters off
California and other states.
May 11
Governor Judy Martz announced she has created an
interdepartmental task force to facilitate joint actions by state agencies relating to the development of energy projects in
Montana. The Interagency Energy Development Task Force was established by Executive Order
7-01.
April 30
In a speech to the Associated Press, Vice President Cheney outlined the
administration plan to increase energy production.
Wyoming Governor Geringer makes appointments to the new Wyoming
Energy Commission.
April 10
The skyrocketing price of natural
gas is sparking renewed national interest in coal. Although California's small, coal-fired power plants account for less than 1 percent of its electricity production, about 20 percent of the state's total power comes from coal-burning plants, mostly elsewhere in the West.
March 8
Governor
Geringer and Governor
Martz testify before the House Resources Committee on the role of public
lands in a secure energy future.
March 1
As part of the budget President Bush announced on Tuesday, there is some funding for initiatives in advance of development of a Comprehensive Energy
Policy. These include increased funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program, tax credits for domestic solar and extending tax credits for
electricity produced from other renewable resources, opening part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas leasing and using the
proceeds to fund increased research on solar and renewable resources, and redirecting coal research to
focus on reducing the environmental impact of using coal.
The House Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality held a
hearing on a National Energy Policy on February 28. The hearing focused on natural gas issues.
February 28
In Wyoming Governor Geringer signed into law a bill establishing a Wyoming Energy Commission to develop a
comprehensive state energy policy. Some of the other duties assigned to the Commission include: examining and making recommendations on streamlining
facility siting; reviewing, and where appropriate make recommendations on streamlining state rules and regulations relating to energy development
projects, while protecting Wyoming's environment; examining additional transmission line corridors; developing and promoting the maximum use of
cost effective conservation and renewable energy resources; supporting the development of a centralized grid-wide database; and supporting regional
assessments of gas supplies and transmission.
February 26
Senator Frank Murkowski (R-AK) has introduced his National Energy
Security Act of 2001. A few of the many measures in the bill include: new tax and regulatory
incentives for oil and natural gas production, including opening the Arctic wildlife refuge in Alaska to drilling; funding for clean coal technology
research and development and a tax credit of $0.0034 cents per kWh for electricity produced from clean coal technology; funding for nuclear energy
research; increasing the authorization for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program; requiring reduction of federal buildings energy use;
establishing a 10 percent investment tax credit for purchase of distributed generation; establishing tax credits for alternative fuel vehicles;
establishing a tax credit for energy efficient homes; and extending the tax credit for electricity produced from renewable resources to 2011.
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