WASHINGTON - A final energy bill cleared the House-Senate conference committee and was approved by both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate late last week.

President Bush is expected to sign the bill into law early in August.

Republican leaders decided to drop two sticking points of previous energy bills in order to get this bill passed - oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and liability protection for manufacturers of the methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) fuel additive.

Publication date: 08/01/2005