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The proposal by incoming Republican chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee, Doc Hastings to consolidate all energy policies into one committee is being opposed by representatives of his own party as well as the opposition. Republican members of the Energy and Commerce Committee do not wish the jurisdiction over energy issues to be taken away from Energy and Commerce.

Despite a setback in the United States Senate, the Republican party plans to pursue its policy to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska. Senators Frank Murkowskiand Ted Stevens label the issue as a civil rights one for Eskimos who should be allowed to drill on their territory.

California Senators Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer are pushing for amendments to the pending energy bill which would allow more flexibility regarding ethanol provisions. California's delay of its ban on use of Methyl tertiary butyl ether in gasoline is also discussed.

Proposed amendments to the United States's energy bill include a ban the gasoline additive ethyl tertiary butyl ether, requirements for more renewable fuels in gasoline, and a pipeline safety amendment. Political debate around these proposals and other energy plans is analyzed.

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle announced the vote on energy legislation will be postponed until at least February, 2002. Issues discussed with the new legislation include drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, climate change policies and vehicle fuel-economy standards.

The Government Accounting Office will file in court if the National Energy Policy Development Group and its leader Vice President Dick Cheney do not turn over records of meetings and cost of operations. Cheney's objections to the information request are examined.

President Bush removed 75% of the proposed leases in an upcoming sale for the Eastern Gulf of Mexico due to pressure from policy makers and his brother Jeb, the governor of Florida. Leases closer to the coast were eliminated.

Senator Jeff Bingaman, new leader of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is expected to slow action on President Bush's energy agenda. Democratic leadership of the committee is also expected to stop plans to open the Alaska Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling.

Vermont Senator James Jeffords decision to leave the Republican party may jeopardize President Bush's energy plan. The political implications of Jeffords's decision are discussed.

The energy policy of the new 106th Congress that will convene in Jan 1999 is unlikely to be much different from that of the 105th Congress that preceded it. Apart from the resignation of Speaker Newt Gingrich and the ongoing impeachment drama, the majority enjoyed by the Congressional Republicans, who are generally supportive of energy industry interests, is one of the narrowest in history, which will make it more difficult to carry through with their agenda. The real power in the House is Majority Whip Tom DeLay, an opponent of government regulation who once proposed repealing the Clean Air Act.

Pres Clinton expressed his support for a lifting of the ban on exports of crude oil from Alaska's North Slope at a meeting with members of Congress at the White House. However, Clinton said that a rescinding of the ban would have to be predicated upon the resolution of some trade issues linked to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Current proposal to lift the ban have the stipulation that the oil can only be transported on tankers registered in the US, a stipulation that may run afoul of GATT regulations.

Independent oil and gas producers expressed guarded optimism over the prospects that a meeting with Pres Clinton would produce significant concessions to the industry. Some people in the industry believe that a meeting with the President of the US is significant in itself and is sure to generate results. However, Congressional sources speculate that Clinton will be reluctant to grant concessions to the oil and gas industry such as tax credits since it would reduce the government's revenue stream.

Eight of nine oil and chemical industries trade associations contacted by the Commerce Dept are opposed to the request for federal government relief from independent oil producers. The Independent Petroleum Assn of America (IPAA) has requested that the federal government reduce oil imports through such measures as an oil import fee. Industry trade associations opposed to the IPAA's request argue that such measures will be costly to consumers and will be offensive to the trading partners of the US.

The Finance Minister Cesar Robalino and the Ecuadoran Energy Minister Francisco Acosta face the populist communist party MPD's attempt to impeach them. Acosta and Robalino have been charged with illegally passing a gasoline tax, and Acosta has been accused of not keeping the state's environmental goals in mind during Texaco's audit. In addition, Acosta did not take the side of Oriente when it sued Texaco for environmental damage.

Petroleum and gas industry officials are skeptical about whether the Clinton Administration's oil and gas initiative can be enacted into law. The Dept of Energy (DOE) has proposed 49 actions to spur the production of oil and natural gas, but the DOE has the authority to implement only 7 of the 49. To implement the other 42 actions, the DOE needs the cooperation of other departments and from indigenous peoples. Among the actions proposed by the DOE are a call increasing funding for research and development of advanced oil recovery technology, and the establishment of a technology-transfer network.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) is advocating a national value added tax (VAT) instead of an energy tax based on the British thermal unit (Btu) content of fuels. The API contends that a national VAT, a tax on consumption, will be more equitable to US industry than a Btu tax and will have better financial and social effects. The API contends that a Btu tax is unfair to the petroleum industry since it taxes oil at a higher rate than other fossil fuels. A VAT would only raise the price of gasoline by 2-3% whereas a Btu tax will raise gas prices by 10-15 cents per gallon.

Senators from New England are strongly opposed to legislation introduced by senators from Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma calling for the imposition of an import fee on crude oil imports to maintain a minimum price of $25 per barrel for oil. A spokesman for Sen Claiborne Pell (D-RI) said that Pell and other senators from the region would introduce a resolution opposing such a fee and are drafting a letter expressing their opposition that will be sent to Pres Clinton and Treasury sec Lloyd Bentsen.

An important parliamentary panel in Indonesia, in a major policy shift, is recommending the development of nuclear power as an alternative energy source. Commission VII, which focuses on energy and mining industry policies, asserts nuclear power would reduce Indonesia's dependency on oil.

The 103rd Congress, which takes office Jan 5, 1993, will have more new members than any Congress since World War II, more minorities and women than any Congress and be predominantly Democratic. New members will number between 91 and 150 members, due to the House banking scandal and voters' need for a change. However, energy and environmental committee members, especially in California, will likely be re-elected because they support a ban on offshore oil drilling.

Deputy Secretary of Energy Linda Stuntz talked at a National Energy Resources Organization luncheon about the inability of the Democratic Congress to produce an energy bill. Stuntz said the Democratic platform does little to promote energy production in the US and cited the danger of a Bill Clinton/Albert Gore presidency giving the environment priority over industry. Industry executives are not convinced that a Clinton presidency would be harmful and independent companies favor Gore's pro-natural gas stance. They feel that Congress has become more supportive of their needs.

A comprehensive energy bill will be deliberated in the Senate on Jul 22, 1992. The Nevada senators will prevent passage of the bill if it includes a nuclear waste site in their state and the Bush administration threatens to veto the bill if it includes taxes on coal firms to finance retired miners' health benefits. An amendment in the House bill that may also incur a veto, includes setting federal standards for state prorationing of natural gas.

A comprehensive energy bill is due on the US Senate agenda Jul 22, 1992. A US House of Representatives version passed with a provision for federal rules governing state gas prorationing plans. Senate Democrats are divided on this issue. Other controversial parts of the bill include nuclear waste depositories in Nevada and a coal industry tax to pay for healthcare benefits for retired coal miners.

Petroleum marketers in the US in the two states of New York and New Jersey have been successful in garnering political support to reduce the sulfur content in heating oil. The decision of New York State to pass a bill on the same would eventually lead to other states in the US also passing the same.