On May 21, the full Senate passed bipartisan legislation to combat severe propane shortages like those occurring last winter across the East Coast and Midwest. The Reliable Home Heating Act (S. 2086) was drafted by Senator John Thune (R-SD) and gained bipartisan co-sponsors.
On May 22, the Geoscience-Energy Briefing Consortium, which includes the American Geosciences Institute, held two briefings for congressional Senate and House staff entitled “Oil and Gas Development: How Geoscience Makes a Difference.”
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On May 19, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) declined to hear a challenge to the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) rule charging coal companies fees for exporting coal.
A key vote on the Keystone XL pipeline stalled May 12 after the Senate reached an impasse on the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013 (S. 761), sponsored by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH).
On May 29, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss potential U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to meet rising energy needs in Asia.