Debate in the U.S. Senate for a comprehensive energy bill was suspended last week to allow senators time to pass the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003. The halt to the debate prompted Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM) to pledge passage by the Senate for a balanced, comprehensive energy plan that he says will help the American economy.

Domenici, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said he has received assurances from the Senate leadership that the government body will resume debate on the Energy Committee's energy policy legislation following the congressional Memorial Day recess.

"Every barrel of oil we purchase from overseas is money that is transferred directly from our economy and from our workers, to those in foreign countries," Domenici said.

"We estimate our bill could create more than 500,000 jobs in the United States and make our economy stronger and less dependent upon imported energy. Those are very clear reasons we need to enact the Energy Policy Act," explained the senator.

Domenici said the Senate has seven outstanding policy issues to resolve, including provisions on: ethanol, renewable portfolio standards, CAFÉ, Indian energy, merger review language, electricity and climate change.

"Every one of them can and will be resolved. Then we can get with the House to come up with a final measure that embodies the energy security vision outlined by President Bush two years ago. I fully expect to get this done this year," Domenici said.

Domenici said the goals of the Senate package are to provide incentives to produce oil and gas in the deep waters of the Gulf; build an Alaskan natural gas pipeline to keep up with demand; streamline oversight of production on federal lands; aggressively pursue hydrogen as an energy source; reduce the cost of solar and other renewable energy technologies; and encourage the use of nuclear power.