The House’s response to the Senate’s Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2016 was approved by the lower chamber Wednesday, sending it back to the Senate for Conference. The House version, an amendment overlaying the Senate’s bill with its own North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2015 (H.R.-8), is more partisan and has been threatened with a veto.
H.R. 8 passed the House in early December and was met with a veto threat from the White House. “The Administration strongly opposes H.R. 8 because it would undermine already successful initiatives designed to modernize the Nation’s energy infrastructure and increase our energy efficiency,” a Nov. 30 Statement of Administration Policy says.
The Senate’s bill, which was approved by the upper chamber in April, received a warmer, though not exactly friendly response from the administration. “S. 2012 would focus on energy efficiency, energy infrastructure, energy supply, and conservation. The Administration believes that these are important issues and supports some provisions of the legislation,” a Jan. 27 Statement of Administration Policy says. The statement does not threaten a veto but does state there are areas in which the administration believes the bill could improve.
The bill 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. Passing the Senate with a vote of 85-12, the bill has also received strong bipartisan support.