Partisanship thwarts Senate energy bill

FILE - In this April 21, 2014, file photo, people walk near teepees set up on the National Mall in Washington, looking toward the Capitol. Days after President Barack Obama touted executive actions aimed at increasing energy efficiency, a bill with similar goals is expected to fall victim to partisan gridlock in the Senate. A bipartisan bill to promote many of the same efficiency goals Obama touted May 9 in California is expected to go down in defeat May 12 amid a dispute over the Keystone XL oil pipeline. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

FILE - In this April 21, 2014, file photo, people walk near teepees set up on the National Mall in Washington, looking toward the Capitol. Days after President Barack Obama touted executive actions aimed at increasing energy efficiency, a bill with similar goals is expected to fall victim to partisan gridlock in the Senate. A bipartisan bill to promote many of the same efficiency goals Obama touted May 9 in California is expected to go down in defeat May 12 amid a dispute over the Keystone XL oil pipeline. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

WASHINGTON -- A widely popular, bipartisan energy-savings bill fell victim in the Senate on Monday to election-year politics and the continued indecision of President Barack Obama's administration on the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

A 55-36 vote on a procedural motion to end debate and send the measure to the Senate floor without amendments fell short of the 60 needed for approval.

Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., voted to end debate. Republican Sen. John Boozman, who last month underwent emergency heart surgery, did not vote.

The legislation would tighten efficiency guidelines for new federal buildings and provide tax incentives to make homes and commercial buildings more efficient. It easily cleared a procedural hurdle last week but stalled after Republicans demanded votes on the Canada-to-Texas pipeline and on administration-proposed greenhouse-gas limits for coal-burning power plants.

Republicans are united in favor of the pipeline and against the new power-plant regulations, while Democrats are deeply divided on both. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., used a parliamentary maneuver to block Senate votes on the pipeline and power-plant rules as part of the energy-savings bill.

Reid said Monday that Republicans were "still seeking a ransom" on the energy bill by insisting on the Keystone amendment and other votes. He said he had agreed to a long-standing request for a separate vote on the pipeline if its supporters would let the efficiency bill sail through unamended.

Minority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, called Reid's maneuver disappointing. "The Senate used to be a place of great debate and accomplishment. Now it is run like a dictatorship shutting out the voices of millions of Americans," he said.

Election-year politics loomed on all sides.

Democrats said Republicans were unwilling to hand a victory on the energy-efficiency bill to Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., a co-author of the bill who is facing a re-election challenge from Republican Scott Brown, a former Massachusetts senator who now lives in New Hampshire. Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio also co-wrote the energy legislation.

Partisan discord was so strong that three Republican senators who co-sponsored the energy legislation voted against it Monday to protest the exclusion of amendments. Among those voting no was Sen. John Hoeven, a North Dakota Republican who has been the Senate's chief GOP supporter of the Keystone XL pipeline.

Democrats also said the GOP wants to deny political cover to Sen. Mary Landrieu, who faces a tough re-election fight in Louisiana, and to other Democrats in energy-producing states who have pushed for the pipeline's approval during their campaigns. A Senate vote on the pipeline would help Landrieu and Democrats such as Sen. Mark Begich of Alaska, even if it fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance it. President Barack Obama delayed the project indefinitely last month, citing uncertainty over the pipeline's route though Nebraska.

Landrieu, chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, has made Keystone approval an important part of her re-election campaign. She angrily denounced Republicans who opposed the energy bill, a move that also blocks a Senate vote on the pipeline.

"They chose to have an issue, as opposed to having a pipeline, and that's very disappointing," Landrieu said, naming Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as the chief culprit.

On the other side, Republicans accused Democrats of dodging a vote on blocking the Obama administration's proposed limits on carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants. No matter the outcome, having to vote on what Republicans call Obama's "war on coal" would be uncomfortable for Democrats struggling to hold their Senate majority. Many Democrats in energy-producing states oppose the regulations.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Monday that Obama is committed to increasing energy security and efficiency and "will not rest even if Congress won't act."

Obama announced a series of executive actions last week aimed at increasing energy efficiency and reducing U.S. reliance on carbon fuels. They include the completion of energy-efficiency standards for walk-in coolers and freezers typically used in grocery stores. He also announced that more than 300 companies, including Wal-Mart, have pledged to boost their use of solar technology.

A Section on 05/13/2014