A nearly three-quarters majority of the U.S. Senate approved national energy legislation today. Passage of a compromise version of H.R. 6 in a 74-26 vote followed light debate and an unsuccessful last-ditch effort by Democratic leaders to derail the legislation with a budget-rules challenge.
However, some Senate Democrats hailed the bipartisan package as a triumph of “statesmanship” for the two senators from New Mexico, Sen. Pete Domenici, a Republican and chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Sen. Jeff Bingaman, a Democrat and ranking member of the same panel.
Answering criticism of the energy bill, Domenici said, “It is impossible to legislate or dictate to the American people that they should change their car-buying habits so they will buy smaller cars.
“But the provisions in H.R. 6 will effect a change in those habits in short order,” he predicted.
The Senate vote followed passage of the bill by the U.S. House of Representatives July 28. The bill is now headed to the Oval Office. Once President Bush signs the measure, it will become law. Bush earlier asked Congress to send national energy policy legislation to his desk by Aug. 1.
