The skinny on energy-bill dealings in House-Senate conference committee

You may recall from, oh, the 5 zillion times we’ve written about it that a massive energy bill is currently wending its way through Congress. The House has passed its version, and the Senate has passed its version, and the two versions are far, far apart. The differences are now being hashed out in a House-Senate conference committee chaired by noted friend of fossil fuels Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas). President Bush has demanded a finished bill on his desk by the time Congress takes its August recess and pressure is running high. We give you a brief rundown on the contentious issues involved, from MTBE to RPS to PUHCA, oh my.