Obama to ‘bridge some differences’ at energy chat with senators

President Barack Obama will try to narrow divides that have stalled energy legislation on Capitol Hill when he meets with a bipartisan group of senators Wednesday at the White House, a spokesman said Monday.

“Obviously the House has passed a bill; proposals have made it through committees in the Senate. And the president is going to talk about the progress, talk about what we need to do to get a deal and actually move some legislation forward,” said White House spokesman Bill Burton Monday.

{mosads}“So I would say it’s one part listening but also one part trying to bridge some differences,” he added.

The meeting comes a week after Obama said the Gulf of Mexico oil spill underscores the need to advance “clean energy” legislation. The
House approved a sweeping climate change and energy bill a year ago but
the Senate has not acted.

Obama is expected to meet with backers of several competing energy and climate plans. A White House aide said last week that lawmakers on the list include Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).

Bingaman, who heads the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, shepherded a broad package focused on energy efficiency and renewable power through the committee last year. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) has floated a plan to curb oil demand, while Kerry and Lieberman are trying to gain traction for limits on greenhouse gases.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) — who was also invited — and Collins are pushing a separate climate proposal.

Obama supports creating a cost for emitting greenhouse gases but the White House appears open to legislation that omits such provisions, which face substantial hurdles on Capitol Hill.

Asked about carbon provisions Monday, Burton replied: “The president’s feelings on this are very well known. The president thinks that if we’re going to change how we deal with carbon, if we’re going to move our energy future in a different direction, then we have to be pretty aggressive in how we do it.  But … he doesn’t think there’s just one good idea on this. He wants to listen to some of the other ideas that folks have.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is convening another meeting of the Senate Democratic caucus on Thursday to discuss energy legislation he wants on the floor as soon as next month.

A caucus meeting last week produced no decisions about the shape of the package.