WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Democratic leaders in the U.S. Senate plan to revise the energy bill after a vote to end debate on the version that passed the House failed Friday.
The vote will probably take place late next week, The Washington Post reported.
The Senate is almost certain to drop a provision that would set a 15 percent quota for renewable energy on power generating companies. Tax provisions in the House bill might also go, although Sen. Max Baucus, D-Montana, the chair of the Finance Committee, said they are "an essential component" of the bill.
The 53-42 vote to close debate fell seven votes shy of the 60 votes needed to permit a vote on the House bill's passage.
The House, ignoring a veto threat from President George W. Bush, on Thursday passed an energy bill that would have raised automobile fuel-efficiency standards and would have required increased use of renewable energy sources to generate electricity. It would generate $21 billion in revenue over 10 years, largely through altering tax provisions for the nation's biggest oil companies.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., expressing disappointment at the Senate action, pledged to work with the Senate "to pass a strong energy bill and send it to the president's desk for his signature."
