Last week, two separate pieces of proposed legislation from Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), one on cyber security (“Cyber Security Legislation”) and one on renewable electricity standards (“RES Legislation”), continued to make their way through the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (“Senate Energy Committee”).

On Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (“Senate Energy Committee”) voted for an amendment to Sen. Jeff Bingaman’s (D-NM) transmission bill (see May 8, 2009 edition of the WER) that will limit broad cost allocations for “national interest” power lines in a given region. The amendment, proposed by Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), could create new financial hurdles for developers proposing large new power line projects.

On Tuesday, Democrats on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce (“House Energy Committee”) met behind closed doors to discuss and negotiate several portions of Rep. Henry Waxman’s (D-CA) energy bill (see April 3, 2009 edition of the WER). While the meeting did not finalize every provision of Rep. Waxman’s energy bill, Democrats on the House Energy Committee agreed to several key portions of the bill.

On Wednesday, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (“Energy Committee”) released a joint staff draft of Chairman Jeff Bingaman’s (D-NM) energy bill that would address concerns by states on cost allocation as well as give the Department of the Interior authority to site new transmission lines on federal lands.

On Wednesday, members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (“Energy Committee”) discussed Chairman Senator Jeff Bingaman’s (D-NM) revised “discussion draft” transmission siting legislation. Previously, Senator Bingaman released draft legislation on March 10, 2009 (see March 13, 2009 edition of the WER).

This week, Chairman Henry A. Waxman (D-CA) of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-MA) of the Energy and Environment Subcommittee held four days of legislative hearings on the discussion draft of “The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009,” released March 31, 2009.

On March 31, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) and House Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Edward Markey (D-MA) released a draft energy and climate change bill.

On Wednesday, Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), chairman of the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, released the National Energy Security Act of 2009 (“NESA”). NESA, which is co-sponsored by Senator George Voinovich (R-OH), attempts to diversify and promote alternative forms of energy such as plug-in cars and trucks, biofuels, and domestic renewables and fossil fuels in order to decrease the United States’ dependence on foreign oil by 80% by 2050.