Last week, the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved a wide-ranging energy bill that will be presented to the full Senate. The legislation, however, does not contain provisions to boost the amount of ethanol in gasoline to 5 billion gallons by 2012, to ban gasoline additive MTBE and to eliminate the oxygen-content requirement for reformulated gasoline.

The transportation-fuel title, an energy tax package, a renewable fuels standard for electricity generation, and incentives to build a natural gas pipeline from Alaska to the Lower 48 States and allow drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, are all expected to be debated on the floor this week.

On Friday (5/2), the committee’s chairman, U.S. Senator Pete Domenici, said he will try to prevent colleagues from offering amendments to open ANWR to oil and gas development and drilling during upcoming floor action on the comprehensive energy bill. Domenici, who is pro-ANWR drilling, fears amendments to open the refuge to drilling would kill the bill, with top Democrats threatening to filibuster any such initiative.

Three weeks have been dedicated for debate of the bill.