Analysis by Energy Workforce President Tim Tarpley
Over the weekend, the Senate parliamentarian struck out several provisions of the Senate reconciliation bill that she considered to be a violation of the Byrd rule that prohibits certain policy initiatives from being included in a budget reconciliation package. The rulings were relevant for a few reasons. First, many of the provisions that were struck had budget-lowering effects, so it will raise the cost of the total bill, as drafted now, to $350 billion. This could complicate the bill’s future in the House, as many budget-minded Conservatives have already been concerned about the bill’s effect on deficit spending.
Also important to our interests are a number of energy provisions that have been struck out. There was a provision that deemed many offshore oil and gas projects to be NEPA compliant, but this was removed from the package. Also, the cutting room floor was a provision that required offshore oil and gas leases to be issued to successful bidders within 90 days after the lease sale was complete. The parliamentarian also rejected a section of the bill that would permit the construction of Ambler Road. This 211-mile access road would facilitate the development of four large mines in northern Alaska and hundreds of smaller mines in the region. Somewhat controversial language was also struck that would have mandated the sale of millions of acres of federal public land by the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service.
The future of the package is still unknown. The Senate parliamentarian is expected to finish her review of the package today, which will open up the ability of Majority Leader Thune to offer a motion to proceed, which will require a majority vote. This will trigger 20 hours of floor debate on the bill.
After this is complete, there could be a vote late Friday. Amendment debate could drag the timeline into next week, but if a majority could be reached, the House could vote at some point mid-next week. That aggressive timeline is all assuming that things go according to plan. Many members still have concerns about overall spending, details like SALT tax credits, varying opinions on the IRA tax credits for energy, and other issues. Any of these areas could stall or slow the movement of the package.
Tim Tarpley, Energy Workforce President, analyzes federal policy for the Energy Workforce & Technology Council. Click here to subscribe to the Energy Workforce newsletter, which highlights sector-specific issues, best practices, activities and more.
