House Majority Leader Harry Reid is starting to see his dream of controlling America’s energy market crumble before him. S. 3663, also known as the Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act of 2010, is Reid’s proposed legislation that was set to face cloture vote tomorrow.
Reid announced today that he will not introduce the bill this week but instead will wait until August recess concludes and the Senate is back in session in September.
Senator Mary Landrieu, a Democrat from Louisiana, has expressed concerns over pieces of the bill that would lift the liability cap faced by oil companies in the event of an accident. Landrieu said, “I wish that somebody would focus on helping the Gulf Coast instead of their focus on destroying an industry and not caring about the consequences of unlimited caps.”
Senator Mark Begich, a Democrat from Alaska, has expressed similar views as Landrieu and has publically stated that he will vote against S. 3663.
Senator Landrieu and Begich’s sentiments reflect the opposition that Reid has faced within his own party. Proposing an energy “solution” that reduced domestic job opportunities, especially in the tattered Gulf Coast states, Reid’s bill never stood a chance. Mr. Reid has finally realized that in this economic climate, politicians promoting command and control policies are doomed.