Senate Panel Approves Renewable Energy Bill

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has approved legislation that would open more of the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas drilling, Bloomberg reported.

The measure, which the panel approved Wednesday, would also require utilities to get as much as 15% of their power from renewable sources and expand oversight of oil, natural gas and power markets, Bloomberg said.

The legislation does not include requirements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but a similar measure approved in a House of Representatives committee would require a 17% reduction in emissions by 2020.