New Congress prepares to weigh energy policies

Just last week, a House committee heard a panel of experts discuss record growth in domestic oil production, a Republican senator from Alaska unveiled an ambitious blueprint for expanding a range of energy sources, and the new chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources scheduled a hearing for this week on natural gas.

Some lawmakers also are pushing the Obama administration to approve the northern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline and sanction more exports of liquefied natural gas.

Whether agreements can be reached on the parameters for a national energy policy remains to be seen. The fact that the nation is enjoying a renaissance in domestic production won't alter long-standing divisions between those who favor more exploration on public land and those who fear the environmental consequences.

Promoting strategies

Obama told House Democrats that in his speech on Tuesday he would promote “an energy agenda that can make us less dependent on foreign oil but also … the kind of clean energy strategy that will maintain our leadership well into the future.”

That's essentially the same message Senate Republicans on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee make in their 123-page blueprint released last week.

The GOP senators advocate for more fossil fuel production but also try to incorporate more than the “drill, baby, drill” philosophy into their plan; it calls for more conservation and development of clean energy.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, the top Republican on the panel, told reporters, “We have made considerable gains in terms of our own energy independence to the point where it's no longer just a slogan that we're talking about.

“So we need to think about what it means to go from an energy discussion that's focused on scarcity to one that's focused on relative abundance and what that means for us as a nation.”