Sen. Dorgan Says Energy Bill May Fare Better Than Cap-and-Trade

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said energy legislation has a better chance of passage this year than a cap-and-trade bill, Dow Jones Newswires reported. Dorgan was quoted as telling reporters that in the "aftermath of a very, very heavy lift on health care, it is unlikely that the Senate will turn next to a very complicated and very controversial subject of cap-and-trade, climate legislation. It is more compelling to turn to an energy bill that is bipartisan."

Dorgan spoke about a report released by the group Securing America's Future Energy. Reuters wrote that the energy bill Dorgan referred to "would require more U.S. electricity supplies to be generated from renewable sources like wind and solar, and expand offshore drilling into the eastern Gulf of Mexico."