Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s (R-Alaska) confidence in the future of the Energy Policy Modernization Act she co-sponsored with Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) seemed somewhat diminished Tuesday morning as she spoke at the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) summit. The bipartisan bill was sent to the Senate floor in late January and was nearly brought to a vote before being derailed by ongoing debate about relief funds for Flint, Mich., where thousands have been left without safe drinking water.
“We’re now poised hopefully, hopefully, we’re poised, to be advancing that measure very, very shortly on the floor,” Murkowski said during her keynote presentation. The lawmaker also noted that the bill, should it become law, would increase funding for APRA-E, the Department of Energy program that supports energy technologies that are not yet ready for private-sector investment.
Later in her speech, however, Murkowski exhibited a tad more confidence in the bill’s chances. “Our energy bill has been held back a little bit longer than we would have liked, certainly longer than I would have liked,” she said. “But we are working hard to resolve those concerns so that the bill can move forward and we’re almost there, and when we finally do make it to that finish line and we finally do get this measure signed into law it will be a true victory for American innovation.”
The package aims to save energy, expand domestic energy supplies, enable infrastructure investment, protect the electric grid, boost energy trade, improve the performance of federal agencies, and renew effective conservation programs.
“The Energy Policy Modernization Act builds on recent technological breakthroughs and promises to bring substantial benefits to American families and businesses while protecting the environment,” according to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee description of the bill.
The panel in late July voted 18-4 to send the legislation to the full Senate. By the request of committee Chairwoman Murkowski and Ranking Member Cantwell, controversial amendments were to be held until floor debate.
Well into floor debate early last month, Murkowski and Cantwell were able to keep controversial amendments at bay, and a vote on the bill seemed probable. That hope slowly waned, though, when Michigan’s senators, Gary Peters (D) and Debbie Stabenow (D), tried to negotiate a $600 million assistance package for Flint into the energy bill
The Flint crisis began in April 2014 when the city changed its water source from treated Detroit Water and Sewerage Department water to water from the Flint River. The water is heavily contaminated with lead and has caused an ongoing public health issue.
The proposed package Peter and Stabenow tried to attach to the bill would be used for a joint federal-state effort to replace the city’s heavily corroded water infrastructure and fund a program to monitor Flint residents for lead exposure for the next 10 years. However, by the time the cloture vote was called on the energy bill, lawmakers had not reached an agreement. The cloture vote failed 46-50 on Feb. 4, and the bill has since been in limbo.
