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The US Congress and the administration of US President Barack Obama are going to compound the mistakes committed in passing the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 by passing a climate change bill. The proposals to develop corn and cellulosic ethanol, biodiesel, and electricity from biofuels will increase energy costs and environmental degradation.

Details of the energy overhaul bill passed by Congress and signed into law are presented. The provisions in the bill on issues such as vehicle efficiency and motor fuels, biofuel standards and energy efficiency are discussed.

The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program furnishes energy-assistance to families having incomes below 150% of the federal poverty level. Florida Power & Light Company's efforts to promote energy conservation programs are discussed.

The new Democratic majority in Congress is pursuing a re-examination of the oil and gas industry with an immediate focus on the Gulf of Mexico where large energy companies drill in government waters without paying royalties to the Treasury, as a result of a drafting error in more than 1,000 leases. The Democrats have passed have passed legislation to recoup the lost royalties and divert the money toward alternative fuel development and conservation measures, as part of their 'first 100 hours' agenda, though their enthusiasm to confront he industry extends way beyond the royalty dispute.

The US Congress' failure to revise the various exemptions and incentives that it wrote into law in 1975, has given the US automakers a chance to take full advantage of the oversight. The automakers have significantly increased the production of sports utility vehicles and pickup trucks, outnumbering cars, avoiding to pay a fine for being out of compliance with the government's Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) limits, due to which there is an increase in gasoline prices.

US Congress may consider passing another energy bill in 2006 to curtail the escalating natural gas prices.

Dept of Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham expresses his views on US energy policy issues. Additional information on use of natural gas as energy source, implementation of clean energy technologies, energy assistance programs and other energy policy issues is included.

Deregulation of electrical utilities is expected to be the major area of legislative concern for the 105th Congress in 1997. Decontrol and restructuring is likely to take several sessions, despite the push for comprehensive legislation on the issue. Other energy policy issues are likely to be dominated by environmental legislation and disagreements over tax related issues such as the foreign tax credit for oil firms., Decontrol of retail electricity markets is the major energy issue facing the U.S. Congress this year, and oil and gas firms are very interested bystanders. The 105th Congress is now [...]

Congress and Pres Clinton raised $545.8 million for federal programs in 1996 by approving the sale of 28 million barrels of oil from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). The sale left the SPR with 564 million barrels, compared to its legal minimum inventory of 530 million barrels. The SPR has four storage caverns in Louisiana and Texas. Petroleum trade groups object to SPR sales, arguing that the government should not be a competitor and should maintain an emergency supply., Now that the U.S. has begun to raid the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, its crude oil piggybank, there may be no stopping the process. For budget reasons last year, Congress and [...]

The Outer Continental Shelf Deep Water Royalty Relief Act, passed as part of the Alaska Power Administration Sale Act, provides a royalty holiday for some deepwater oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico. The offshore oil industry worked 3.5 years to lobby Congress to grant incentives for drilling in the deepwater Outer Continental Shelf. The history of debate over the law and its predecessors is traced through the legislative process., Against the backdrop of more than 20 years of increasingly stringent environmental regulation, ever-expanding exploration and development moratoria on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), and reductions in producer tax incentives, [...]

The 104th Congress, focusing primarily on the Republican Party's Contract with America, has paid little attention to environmental and energy issues. Some Contract with America provisions would positively impact energy regulation, however. A rundown of energy and environmental measures under consideration in Congress is presented. These measures deal with issues ranging from the export of Alaska North Slope oil to unfunded mandates., The Republican party's takeover of Congress is producing the most interesting U.S. legislative session in many years, but it will be far from the most productive. The 104th Congress bolted [...]

Congress passed the Comprehensive National Energy Policy Act on Oct 1, 1992. The law marked the beginning of a new era for the energy industry and it also would have a big influence on investor-owned electric utilities. Throughout the deliberation process, electric utilities disagreed with Congress on various provisions of the law. The issue of amending the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 (PUHCA) was hotly debated. The new PUHCA allows the entry of exempt wholesale generators in electric power generation to spur competition.

The U.S. Congress stands a chance of passing legislation this year that would not only require climate-specific standards for residential air conditioners, heat pumps, and furnaces, but would also pave [...]