WASHINGTON, DC — The Democratically controlled Senate has released its energy bill which includes significant support for renewable energy as well as a provision supporting the 13 SEER standard for central air conditioners and heat pumps.
Introduced by Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the bill leaves out oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), which was a key measure of the House energy bill and President Bush’s national energy policy. As an alternative, it offers incentives for the construction of an Alaskan natural gas pipeline.