Environment
House approves energy bill, Senate passage near


The House voted 275-to-156 on Thursday to approve the energy bill. The Senate is expected to vote and approve it today.

The 1,724-page package includes $14.5 billion in tax breaks over the next 10 years. It does not authorize drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The Indian title encourages development on Indian lands by streamlining the federal review process. Tribal organizations have supported the section but the Indigenous Environmental Network yesterday said it diminishes the federal trust responsibility, reduces accountability to tribal members and wrongly defines Alaska Native corporations as tribes for certain purposes.

The 1,724-page conference report can be found at http://energy.senate.gov/public/_files/ConferenceReport0.pdf, The Indian title can be found at http://energy.senate.gov/public/_files/IndianEnergy.pdf.

Get the Story:
Congress Could Send Bush Energy Bill Today (The Washington Post 7/29)
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Lawmakers: Energy bill to aid state (AP 7/29)
As Energy and Highway Bills Near Completion, Congress Gives Itself a Hand (The New York Times 7/29)
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Get the Bill:
Energy Policy Act of 2005 (H.R.6)

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