Republicans will tie Keystone XL, other energy issues to debt bill

Source: Houston ChronicleSept.迷你倉最平 19--WASHINGTON -- House Republicans on Wednesday said they will use a must-pass debt bill to push for approval of the Keystone XL pipeline and tackle other energy issues.Treasury Secretary Jack Lew has said Congress has until mid-October to boost the nation's borrowing limit above $16.7 trillion, lest the nation begin defaulting on its bills.Democrats have been urging congressional leaders and the White House to keep extraneous policy battles off a debt ceiling bill that already will be a heavy political lift.House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said Republicans soon will unveil a debt ceiling bill that contains language addressing Keystone XL and provisions to delay the Affordable Care Act."We will unveil a plan to extend our nation's ability to borrow while delaying Obamacare and protecting working middle class families from its horrific effects," Cantor said. "Those discussions will also focus on a path forward on tax reform and the Keystone pipeline and a variety of other measures designed to lower energy prices, simplify our tax system and get our economy going for the middle-class working people of this country."The Keystone XL provision could seek to force approval of or speed up a final decision on the pipeline -- strongly opposed by many environmentalists -- that would transport oil sands crude from Alberta, Canada, to the Gulf Coast. Thursday marks five years since Trans- Canada Corp. first asked the U.S. government for a permit to build the border-crossing project. The House has tried a similar gambit before."I'm proud that our leadership is now discussing and contemplating putting Keystone pipeline in whatever opportunities we may have with the debt ceiling," said Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., who has sponsored legislation to put a final decision on the pipeline in the ha迷你倉ds of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.Republican House Whip Kevin McCarthy, of California, said including Keystone XL in a debt bill makes sense."House Republicans are advocating for pro-growth measures to be included in any agreement to raise the government's borrowing authority, so adding swift approval of the Keystone XL pipeline is an easy fit," McCarthy said. "The Keystone XL pipeline is a project that will create tens of thousands of jobs, reduce our spending on overseas oil, and increase America's investment and competitiveness throughout the world."Another energy measure that could be tacked on to the Republicans' debt ceiling bill is legislation to revise an 8-year-old renewable fuel mandate that forces refiners to blend in escalating amounts of biofuel. Refiners and restaurant owners were on Capitol Hill on Wednesday pleading with lawmakers to scrap the mandate, saying it is leading to higher food and gasoline prices.A Cantor spokeswoman said earlier this month he was contemplating folding in legislation dealing with the renewable fuel standard, which could include a measure to freeze or lower biofuel quotas under the mandate.The debt ceiling bill is a political challenge for Republican leaders. Adding hot-button topics like Keystone XL and the renewable fuel standard may help win a few votes in the House but aren't likely to advance in the Senate.Lew on Tuesday insisted that the Obama administration will not support efforts to tie the debt ceiling to changes in the Affordable Care Act.And President Barack Obama said in an appearance Wednesday before the Business Roundtable that he would not allow a group of Republicans to use the debt ceiling to "extort" him.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Houston Chronicle Visit the Houston Chronicle at .chron.com Distributed by MCT Information Services儲存