Reid votes against bill; Ensign supports it

Suzanne Struglinski

Friday, July 29, 2005 | 11:07 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., voted against a massive energy bill passed by the Senate today.

Reid spokeswoman Tessa Hafen said he supported the energy bill passed by the Senate earlier this year, but too many of the Senate provisions were taken out for him to support the final bill. She noted that the final bill included more tax credits for the oil and gas industry, left out a federal ban the on fuel-additive MTBE and took out measures to reduce global warming.

"On balance he felt the bill did more harm than good," Hafen said.

Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., voted for the bill.

The Senate approved the final version of the energy bill today, 74-26, ending a complicated legislative struggle initiated by the Bush administration's energy plan introduced in 2001.

The House passed the final version Thursday, with Nevada's lawmaker voting the same way they did on the original bill passed earlier this year.

Republican Reps. Jim Gibbons and Jon Porter voted for the bill and Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley voted against it.

The bill simplifies the leasing process for geothermal production and by modifies federal royalty requirements to make royalty payments more predictable and less bureaucratic, according to Gibbons' office. It will also increase state and local government royalty share and make payments quicker. Counties can also get a 25 percent share of the royalty payments for the first time.