Committees voted for tax breaks and oil
Two US House of Representatives committees have moved forward with controversial legislation to update US energy policy, including approving drilling in Alaska and delivering $8 billion in tax breaks for energy technology.
Despite objections, the House Resources Committee voted to allow oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge while the House Ways and Means Committee approved $8 billion in tax breaks and financial incentives to boost energy infrastructure by giving utilities special tax treatment for new electric transmission and natural gas distribution lines and encouraging the domestic use of solar energy.
The approvals will be included in a broad energy bill that will be sent to Congress for a full vote in the next week or so but the final House energy bill still has to be reconciled with very different energy legislation in the Senate that is still being written. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is expected to vote on its bill during May.