More energy policy gridlock seen in next (DEM) Congress

[jpak]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061019/pl_nm/usa_congress_energy_dc_1

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If Democrats gain control of one or both houses of the U.S. Congress, they will likely face continued energy policy gridlock, industry lobbyists and congressional experts say.
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To sweep Republicans out of power in Congress in the November 7 elections, Democrats must gain 15 seats in the House of Representatives and six Senate seats. Polls show Democrats are likely to take the House, but the Senate is still a reach.

If Democrats prevail, the impact on weighty energy issues like drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and boosting vehicle fuel standards will likely be "nada, nothing," said Jerry Taylor, an energy expert at the CATO Institute.

"Any legislative majority will be razor-thin, and that means that the fundamental dynamic in the chambers doesn't change much," Taylor said.

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[Double T]

1. Conservative 'think tanks' aren't the last word in future energy policy.

[soothsayer]

2. I MUCH prefer a gridlocked congress than one that rams thru

ungoldy awful and unconstituional legislation. The more gridlocked they are, the safer I feel.