Senate Gives Up on Energy Legislation for This Year

[kskiska]

The Senate dropped efforts Monday to pass energy legislation this year after repeated attempts failed to find the two additional votes needed to push the bill through Congress.

Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., concluded there was not enough time before the Senate was to begin its holiday recess to find a compromise that would be acceptable by the House and overcome a Democratic-led filibuster in the Senate.

Bush administration officials said the White House was ready to push for the legislation in January, confident that Republican leaders will be able to get the support needed to pass the bill in the Senate.

"Although Sen. Frist remains committed to the energy bill, it appears in the short time we have left before we recess for the holiday, we will not be able to take up the energy legislation again," a spokeswoman for the GOP leader said.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11687-2003Nov24.html

[dusty64]

1. Yahoo!

I wonder if they will dare bring this stinker back up in an election year. I hope opponents will continue to educate the public on the real deal with this plan and the total secrecy behind its making. Thanks to opponents from both parties and jeers to their corporate whore backers and those who couldn't be bothered to vote at all.

[joefree1]

2. Victory dance time, get out the drums

Energy Bill Dead for This Year - Congress Aide

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. congressional leaders and the Bush administration failed to reach an agreement on Monday on a stalled $31 billion energy bill, forcing the measure to be pushed back until at least next year, an aide said.

"We're done for the year," said Amy Call, a spokeswoman for Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican who plans to wrap up most of his chamber's work for the year on Tuesday.
Asked if the bill was dead for this year, Call said, "Yes."
The bill, loaded with incentives for oil, natural gas, coal, electricity and nuclear power, was swiftly approved by the House of Representatives last week.
But it was halted in the Senate on Friday by a group of Midwestern and Northeastern lawmakers who complained the bill would also protect oil companies from liability lawsuits for contaminating water with the gasoline additive MTBE. Some 1,500 cities say they face costly clean-ups if they cannot sue.
More ...
http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=801386&tw=wn_wire_story

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. Actually they probably used the energy bill as a distraction

while they ripped apart medicare....that's what their game is..throw more at people than they can possibly manage or hold in their thoughts and actions and see what sticks.

[salin]

6. They believed they could get both

I think they were stunned by the repub defections on the energy bill.

The concept of overload is certainly true - they have been doing this nonstop since steamrolling into the WH. But I don't know that I would say that the whole energy thing was a distraction as in a ploy. Just more indicative of their overall - over sensory overload M.O.

[Cha]

4. I got this from Moveon.org on this...

"On Friday, the Senate rejected the Bush-Cheney energy bill, with 40 courageous Senators, including yours, voting to sustain a filibuster.*


Please call and thank your Senator(s), at:

Senator Charles E. Schumer
Washington, DC: 202-224-6542
Local Phone: [phone]

Thank your Senator for his/her leadership. Then urge him/her to:

"Please continue to filibuster the energy bill."

Does this mean Senator Clinton did not have a leading role?

[fabius]

7. I got a message re: my delinquent Senator...

Gordon Smith :puke:

Although I don't consider Smith "my" Senator.

My real Senator Ron Wyden unfortunately bailed on the prescription drug bill.
:wtf:

I guess he negotiated some kind of amendment where they'll try to have public meetings next year and REpugs 'promise' to help him work out the bad parts. I sent him many emails: "don't trust the bastards!!!" He should know by now.

We tried to call his office today. busybusybusy. A good sign, he's catching a lot of flak. I think we lost on this one.

But if you remember the catastrophic insurance bill of a few years ago, another senior revolt is in the works.

[salin]

5. A HUGE thumbs up!

I thought he was going to try to push this through (a little gift for the bushboy's largest campaign funders.)

There is still the chance that they will squeeze portions of this bill into the big omnibus budget bill.

[Vikingking66]

8. hah!

suck on it, kat-killer!

[Wells]

9. ADM's NPR slogan-whore singalong.

Not much debate on this included conservation measures, nor admission that the hydrogen fuel cell car is a total hoax, though many Greens have fallen for it.

And don't believe Archer Daniels Midland's NPR slogan-whore when she softly coos, "Can you paint something beautiful with sunflowers", (and), "drive forever on corn?"

Drive forever on corn? PUKE!

:silly: Let's not worry about the Ocalala Aquifer going dry, just because it's going dry, growing corn, subsidized to put Mexico's family farmers to work, making TVs and other trinkets, fat ass Merikans buy at Walmart, against whom California grocery workers struggle, and Teamsters sellout, paid to drive forever, not on corn, but on what's available and makes pretty sunsets, during which doctors recommend against strenuous exercise. La La La, La Laaa. La La. La La. La Laa.

The energy bill has nothing to do with energy.

Hello everyone. :bounce:

[sandnsea]

10. At least one thing to cheer! n/t