Message-ID: <17766894.1075842478145.JavaMail.evans@thyme> Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2000 07:27:00 -0800 (PST) From: shelley.corman@enron.com To: stanley.horton@enron.com, danny.mccarty@enron.com, mary.miller@enron.com, robert.kilmer@enron.com, ray.neppl@enron.com, drew.fossum@enron.com, dorothy.mccoppin@enron.com, janet.place@enron.com Subject: Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Haring on Natural Gas markets Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-From: Shelley Corman X-To: Stanley Horton, Danny McCarty, Mary Kay Miller, Robert Kilmer, Ray Neppl, Drew Fossum, Dorothy McCoppin, Janet Place X-cc: X-bcc: X-Folder: \Drew_Fossum_Dec2000_June2001_1\Notes Folders\Discussion threads X-Origin: FOSSUM-D X-FileName: dfossum.nsf Enron Gov't Affairs provided this report on the Energy and Natural Resources hearing on Natural Gas markets held this morning. Please note the suggestion that we provide a list of any specific items that we would like to see added to energy policy legislation: Witnesses from the Energy Information Administration, American Gas Association, Natural Gas Supply Association and National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) each testified that gas prices are high because demand is greater than supply. Basically, the hearing provided an opportunity for Western State Senators to complain about policies that restrict E&P activity - especially on federal lands. Sen. Murkowski will probably introduce a supply oriented bill in the next Congress. The bottom line is that a number of Senators are deploring the lack of a National Energy Policy and seem intent on doing something to rectify such omission. One specific area of interest of Senator Bingaman seemed to be the need to create incentives to encourage pipleine investment. He seemed especially interested in the need for long term contracts to back development Given that there may be interest to pass Energy Policy legislation, it may be worthwhile to put together a wish list of items that affect our bottom line, such as accelerated depreciation provisions, tax credits, etc.