Senator Lisa Murkowski's Energy Bill Conference Committee Opening Statement

SENATOR LISA MURKOWSKI'S ENERGY BILL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE OPENING STATEMENT

Sen. Lisa Murkowski made the following statement today as the Senate and House energy bill conference committee met to discuss H.R. 6 - Energy Policy Act of 2005.

"Mr. Chairman Barton, Senator Domenici, with the price of oil near $60 and with the price of natural gas at near record levels, we need a comprehensive energy policy and we need it now.

"We want a balanced bill that will increase domestic production of oil, gas, coal, and nuclear power, but also a bill that will encourage renewable energy and new technology that will lead to alternative energy sources and measures to encourage energy conservation.

"This bill can solve a host of national problems but also many state concerns, such as helping Alaska finally craft a modern energy system so its citizens in 175 towns aren't paying 40 to 80 cents per kilowatt hour for diesel-fired electricity, but perhaps close to the national average for other energy supplies from coal and wind, to hydro and new fuel cell-generated power.

"We have an historic opportunity to craft a bill that can be approved by both Houses and signed by the President yet this summer. We just need to get down quickly to the hard work of marrying the good ideas from these two bills and finding a way to get past the painful task of reducing the price tag for some of these provisions to meet within the overall budget cap that we face.

"I know we will succeed this month. Given what is happening in the world, we can't afford to fail to set this nation on a rational path for energy development now."

http://murkowski.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=240661