House panel votes down energy price cap amendment

By CNN Capitol Hill Producer Ted Barrett

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee defeated Thursday a Democratic effort to attach language capping Western electricity prices to a spending bill the committee is drafting.

Democrats, who are far outnumbered on the committee, had hoped several Western GOP lawmakers, under pressure from home to help ease prices, would vote for the caps.

But GOP members voted unanimously against the price caps amendment and also helped defeat three other energy-related amendments. Some side-stepped the argument over price caps by citing their opposition to adding legislative language to a spending bill that lawmakers historically prefer not to do.

Thursday's votes, which took place on amendments to the $6.5 billion 2001 supplemental spending bill, included the first vote by members on price caps for wholesale electricity prices on the West Coast.

A recent House Energy and Commerce Committee mark-up on legislation to address the California energy crisis was canceled, in part, because Republican leaders were uncertain over the outcome of an expected vote on price caps.

Regardless of Thursday's defeat, Democrats say they will bypass normal procedure by using a discharge petition to force a price caps bill to the House floor, hoping Western lawmakers will feel pressure to support it. However, that won't happen until after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission meets Monday to possibly act on easing Western electricity prices.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expect the FERC action to limit wholesale prices, although Democrats have complained it won't guarantee it. Several Republicans said they looked forward to the FERC action because the lower prices will discount the political momentum Democrats have gained in recent days on the issue.

Beside the price cap amendment, three other energy-related amendments were voted down. One offered $125 million to improve the efficiency of dams used for hydroelectric power. A second targeted $350 million for improvements to the nation's electric power grid, and the third doubled the committee's appropriation for the Low Income Housing Energy Assistance Program this year from $300 million to $600 million. President Bush had requested $150 million.