Senate ‘energy gang’ seeks drilling compromise

A bipartisan group of senators, modeled after the Gang of 14 on judicial nominees, is considering pushing forward a proposal that would give oil companies access to areas that are currently off-limits, lawmakers said Wednesday.

The five Democrats and five Republicans plan to meet Wednesday evening to finalize the package, which will likely consist of ways to boost drilling, encourage conservation, spark renewable-energy production and clamp down on excessive market speculation on oil futures.

{mosads}The senators are trying to drive the chamber’s rancorous debate over energy, as both sides try to deflect blame for soaring gasoline prices. They have been compared to the bipartisan Gang of 14, which in 2005 helped avert a partisan meltdown over judges. But unlike that group, this year’s gang has not yet decided whether they will stay united on the floor by voting for or against certain proposals that run counter to its plan.

The group’s proposals may also have to wait until after the August recess if its members don’t soon finalize a strategy, since the chamber is already launching into a debate over oil speculation.

Republicans are calling for Congress to remove a decades-old ban on drilling along the coastal United States, saying plentiful energy resources exist there. But Democrats argue that oil companies should first drill on the 68 million acres of onshore and offshore land already available before getting access to protected and, in some cases, pristine areas.

Sen. Ben Nelson (Neb.), a conservative Democrat who was also a member of the Gang of 14, said that the group might float a compromise on drilling.

"You've got to work it both ways," Nelson said. "I want to get away from this idea, which seems to be apparent, which is that the oil industry is always looking to drill in the leases they don't have. And I don't know that that's the case, but it appears that way.”

Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) is skeptical about legislation forcing companies to drill in areas they already have access to, but did not rule that out as part of a compromise package.

"The talks so far have been very positive," said Chambliss, who wants to have a "general framework" of an agreement in place before the August recess. "We won't have all the specifics done." He said afterward they would push to expand the membership of the group.

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said the group is discussing moving up its timeline to influence the chamber's debate over energy.

But he said he sees "no way" to get the legislation considered before August.