Senator Dick Lugar - Driving the Future of Energy Security

Senator Lugar took an active role in proposing and gathering support for energy security legislation in the 109th Congress. His bills proposed to strengthen American energy independence in a variety of ways, from tax credits for automakers that produce Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs), to plans for international cooperation on researching and developing new sources of energy. Brief synopses of his bills are available below. To view the full legislative proposal, follow the link to the legislative page on the Library of Congress’ website.

Senator Lugar sponsored the Lugar-Biden Climate Change Resolution, S. Res. 312, on November 15, 2005; it was referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on November 15, 2005, which approved the bill for consideration by the full Senate on May 25, 2006. The bill expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States should act to reduce risks posed by global climate change and to foster economic growth by: (1) participating in negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and leading efforts in other international fora with the objective of securing U.S. participation in agreements that advance and protect U.S. interests, that establish mitigation commitments by all countries that are major emitters of greenhouse gases, that establish flexible international mechanisms to minimize the cost of efforts by participating countries, and that achieve a significant long-term reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions; and (2) establishing a bipartisan Senate observer group to monitor international negotiations on climate change and to ensure that the advice and consent function of the Senate is exercised to facilitate timely consideration of any applicable treaty.
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Senator Lugar sponsored the NATO Energy Security Resolution, S. Res. 456, on May 1, 2006. The Senate adopted the resolution by unanimous consent on June 8, 2006. The resolution calls upon the United States to lead the discussion at NATO headquarters about the role the alliance should play in energy security. Specifically, it expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should: (1) place on the agenda for discussion at the North Atlantic Council the merits of establishing an energy security strategy for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and (2) report to Congress on designated agenda items, including a summary of the debate and a strategy.
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Senator Lugar sponsored the Fuels Security Act of 2005, S. 650, on March 17, 2005. It was referred the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The legislation would amend the Clean Air Act to require that motor vehicle fuel contain a certain amount of renewable fuel. The bill would more than double the production and use of domestic renewable fuels including ethanol, biodiesel, and fuels produced from cellulosic biomass. In addition to improving rural economies, it would spur investment in valuable infrastructure that is critical to the viability of a national renewable fuels system.
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Senator Lugar sponsored The U.S.-India Energy Security Cooperation Act, S. 1950, on November 1, 2005. The Senate approved the amended bill by voice vote on July 24, 2006. It encourages the United States and India to cooperate to achieve greater energy security by diversifying sources of energy, stimulating development of alternative fuels, developing and deploying technologies that promote the clean and efficient use of coal, and improving energy efficiency. The bill also authorizes funds for cooperative research and development efforts in the following areas: (1) clean coal and emission reduction technologies and carbon sequestration projects; (2) alternative fuel sources, such as ethanol, bio-mass, and coal-based fuels; (3) energy efficiency projects; (4) research related to commercially available technologies that promote the clean and efficient use of energy in India; and (5) technical assistance in support of the development by the government of India of a strategic oil reserve to allow India to cope with short-term disruptions to global oil supplies without causing shocks to India's market or the global market. Finally, it directs the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Energy, to report to certain congressional committees on energy security cooperation between the United States and India.
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Senator Lugar sponsored the Fuel Security and Consumer Choice Act, S. 1994, with Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) on November 10, 2005. It was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The bill proposes to amend federal transportation law to require manufacturers of new automobiles that can operate on gasoline or diesel fuel (dual fueled automobiles) to manufacture such automobiles by increasing percentages for 10 model years and beyond. It also allows manufacturers to earn credits that could be applied to any three consecutive model years after the year in which they were earned if the manufacturer exceeds the number of dual fueled automobiles required to be manufactured in a particular year.
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Senator Lugar cosponsored the Vehicle and Fuel Choices for American Security Act, S. 2025, with Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) on November 16, 2005. It was referred to the Senate Committee on Finance. The bill would provide for changes in oil conservation, new measures to improve fuel economy, tax credits for hybrid cars and advanced fuels, encourage the use of renewable fuels, and set new regulations for federal fleets. The bill would create a federal plan to save 2.5 million barrels of oil per day by 2016, 7 million barrels per day by 2026, and 10 million barrels per day by 2031.
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Senator Lugar sponsored the Energy Diplomacy and Security Act, S. 2435, on March 16, 2006. It was referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, where Senator Lugar chaired three hearings, on May 16, June 7, and June 22, 2006. The bill urges the Secretary of State to seek immediately to establish: (1) strategic energy partnerships with the governments of major energy producers and major energy consumers, and with governments of other countries; (2) petroleum crisis response mechanisms with the governments of China and India; (3) a Western Hemisphere energy crisis response mechanism; and (4) a regional-based ministerial Hemisphere Energy Cooperation Forum. It also urges the President to place on the agenda for discussion at the Governing Board of the International Energy Agency the merits of establishing an international energy program application procedure. Finally, it urges the Hemisphere Energy Cooperation Forum (established in response to this Act) to implement: (1) an Energy Crisis Initiative; (2) an Energy Sustainability Initiative; and (3) an Energy for Development Initiative. Along those same lines, it encourages the Secretary to approach other governments in the Western Hemisphere to seek cooperation in establishing a Hemisphere Energy Industry Group of industry and government representatives, coordinated by the U.S. Government.
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Senator Lugar sponsored the American Fuels Act, S. 2446, with Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) on March 16, 2006. It was referred to the Senate Finance Committee. The bill would take a four-step approach to reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil. First, it would spur investment in alternative fuels by increasing the production of cellulosic biomass ethanol (CBE) to 250 million gallons by 2012. It would also create and Alternative Diesel Standard that will require 2 billion gallons of alternative diesels to be mixed into the 40 billion gallon annual national diesel pool by 2015. Second, the legislation would help increase consumer demand for alternative fuels by providing a short term, 35 cents per gallon tax credit for E-85 fuel and by providing automakers with a $100 tax credit for every E85 capable FFV produced. Third, it would require the U.S. government to lead by example by requiring the government to allow alternative fueling stations on government property and by requiring only clean buses be eligible for federal cost sharing. Similarly, it would establish a Department of Defense “fly-off” competition to encourage private sector companies to compete to find energy efficient alternatives for defense purposes. Finally, the bill would create a Director of Energy Security to oversee and keep America focused on the goal of energy independence.
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Senator Lugar sponsored the Biofuels Security Act, S. 2817, with Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) on May 16, 2006. It was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The bill would require all U.S. marketed vehicles to be manufactured as FFVs by 2016, require the major U.S. gasoline companies to carry E85 renewable fuel in 50 percent of their gas stations, and extend and increase the Renewable Fuels Standard.
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Senator Lugar cosponsored the Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Production Act, S. 3325, with Senators Jim Bunning (R-KY) and Barack Obama (D-IL) on May 26, 2006. New Coal-to-Liquid (CTL) technologies enable coal to be liquefied and refined into a product cleaner than standard diesel. The proposal would create tax incentives for CTL technology and the construction of CTL plants. It would also provide for loan guarantees to stimulate private investment. Finally, the legislation would authorize Department of Defense funds to purchase CTL fuels and integrate them into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The original version of the bill was referred to the Committee on Finance on May 26, 2006. A modified bill, S. 3623, was referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on June 29, 2006.
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Senator Lugar sponsored the Alternative Diesel Fuel Act of 2006, S. 3554, with Senators Barack Obama (D-IL), Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Tom Carper (D-DE) on June 21, 2006. It was referred to the Environment and Public Works Committee. The legislation would decrease America's dependence on foreign oil by requiring that 2 billion gallons of alternative diesel be produced domestically by the year 2015. The diesel alternatives would be mixed into the 40 billion gallon diesel pool by the year 2015. The bill is modeled after the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), an initiative that passed the Senate in 2005, which required that the national gasoline supply to consist of at least 7.5 billion gallons of home-grown ethanol by the year 2012.
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Senator Lugar sponsored the Fuel Economy Reform Act, S. 3694, with Senators Barack Obama (D-IL), Joe Biden (D-DE), Gordon Smith (R-OR), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Norm Coleman (R-MN), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) on July 19, 2006. It was referred to the Senate Energy and Water Committee. The legislation would break the logjam on establishing greater vehicle fuel economy by creating a 4 % target for annual increases in Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. This target would be subject to revision if the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration could prove the targets technologically unachievable or unable to guarantee fleet safety, among other considerations. The bill would also provide tax incentives to manufacturers to retool their production and assembly plants, and extend the current tax credit to consumers who buy hybrid vehicles beyond the first 60,000 buyers per manufacturer. If the bill is enacted, it could save as many as 549 billion gallons of gasoline and cut global warming pollution by 6,094 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent gases by 2028.

Senator Lugar cosponsored the Rural Energy for America Program, S. 3890, with Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), and Ben Nelson (D-NE) on September 12, 2006. It was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. The bill would enhance and improve the energy security of the United States, expand economic development, increase agricultural income, and improve environmental quality by reauthorizing and improving the renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements program of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2012.

Senator Lugar sponsored the National Fuels Initiative, S. 4000, on September 29, 2006. It was referred to the Committee on Finance for consideration. The bill seeks to diversify the fuel mix in our transportation system by encouraging sustained production and use of non-petroleum based fuels. Among other things, the bill would promote the installation of E-85 fuel pumps and the supporting infrastructure, encourage the manufacture of flexible fuel vehicles, and increase fuel economy standards.