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Barton has refused to commit to a markup but has said that he will consider it. "I am strongly, strongly, strongly thinking about doing a very open markup," Barton said during a hearing last week. "I would love to improve this bill and take it to the floor with strong bipartisan support."
The renewed legislative activity follows Bush's recent call for Congress to pass comprehensive energy legislation after years of inaction. "Four years of debate is enough," Bush said during his Feb. 2 State of the Union address. "I urge Congress to pass legislation that makes America more secure and less dependent on foreign energy."
Bush and Vice President Cheney, who headed the administration's energy task force, lobbied heavily in the past for congressional action.
Since the 2003 legislative stalemate, energy prices have continued to rise and demand has continued to increase. Oil prices hit a record of more than $55 a barrel last year and have been hovering in the historically high, mid-$40 range, helping inflate gasoline prices and dragging domestic economic growth, economists have said. Natural-gas bills have been rising and manufacturers that rely on gas have been sounding the alarm.
Oil prices are rising largely because of increasing demand - especially from China - and a tight supply. Demand for natural gas has also been increasing, and many in the industry are concerned about a lack of terminals where imports of liquefied natural gas can be unloaded.
Lawmakers from both parties say comprehensive energy legislation is needed to deal with these issues. But many have fundamental disagreements about the approach. Some want measures that focus on increasing domestic production, while others want more emphasis on conservation or a combination of approaches.
Given the impasse, some lawmakers have advocated breaking up the energy bill into more saleable pieces that might attract sufficient support. But GOP leaders and the administration say that a comprehensive approach is needed and that piecemeal efforts would be inadequate.
Energy policy analysts said the country needs a comprehensive approach that includes a rise in production, an increase in automobile mileage requirements, the development of alternative fuels and the use of more efficient technologies.
"We should have an energy policy bill that really addresses the national interests," said Amy Myers Jaffe, associate director of the energy program at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University in Houston. "The bill that was constructed in 2003 would just line the pockets of special-interest groups and do virtually nothing to enhance the energy security of our country."
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