US Congress Doesn’t Get P.O.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the Republican-authored Energy Policy Act of 2005.

The legislation would create mandatory reliability standards for the nation’s transmission grid operators, increase oil and gas exploration on federal lands, speed up permit approval for the construction of new refineries, authorize funding for clean coal projects, and mandate the use of 5 billion gallons of the corn-based fuel additive ethanol annually.

Republicans defeated dozens of attempts by Democrats to alter the bill that would have required the U.S. to reduce oil consumption, raised fuel economy standards for vehicles, and required utilities to produce a portion of their electricity from renewable resources all failed.
Market Watch