Congress Passes Energy Bill; Sends to White House for Approval

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ongress Friday sent President Bush a national energy bill touted by supporters as providing a diverse mix of fuels, new jobs and cleaner burning coal, the Associated Press reported.

But the bill now ready for the president’s anticipated signature won't stem high energy prices that have been viewed as a growing political concern by both Congress and the White House, AP said.

The measure contains mandates to increase the use of biofuels, including ethanol and biodiesel, and also contains incentives designed to encourage users to retrofit commercial vehicles with clean diesel technology.

The Senate approved $12.3 billion legislation by a 74-26 vote, though some Democrats said they voted for the measure reluctantly because of its cost and its tepid response to reducing U.S. oil consumption — more than 20 million barrels a day, with more than half of that imported, AP reported.

The Senate action came a day after the House passed the bill, completing the first major overhaul of the nation's energy policies in 13 years. The White House said in advance of passage that Bush looked forward to signing it into law, possibly next week, AP reported.

The Diesel Technology Forum, a group that promotes clean diesel fuel use, said in a statement on its Web site that the bill’s diesel emissions reduction amendment provides $1 billion over five years to speed the transition to cleaner diesel.

It establishes national and state-level voluntary retrofit programs to encourage equipment owners to upgrade their fleets with new clean diesel technology, the DTF's statement said.

A broad coalition of environmentalists, public officials and diesel manufacturers agree that the amendment represents one of the most significant steps the U.S. can take to continue our nation's remarkable clean air progress, the group said.

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