Senators ready dueling energy plans

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democrats and Republican lawmakers in the U.S. Senate on Thursday set the stage for a divisive energy policy debate with two dueling party-line bills to combat high gasoline prices.

With Senate Democrats promising to unveil a new proposal to tame record-high U.S. pump prices averaging $3.60 a gallon on Friday, Republicans rolled out their proposal that would open a small portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, among other things.


“Talk is cheap, but gas is not,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, flanked by 11 other Republicans.

The GOP proposal will compete with a Democratic version which Majority Leader Harry Reid is expected to detail on Friday.

Reid has said he wants to call a vote on a new energy package by late May, before lawmakers depart for their home states for a Memorial Day holiday recess and face voter ire over gasoline prices.

Reuters