Senator Dick Lugar - Driving the Future of Energy Security
Lugar Energy Initiative > Energy Legislation

Energy Legislation

Energy security is one of Senator Lugar’s top priorities for the 110th Congress. He has proposed a variety of bills to encourage the use of alternative fuels, to promote energy efficiency, and to strengthen the bonds of energy cooperation between the United States and other countries. Brief synopses of these bills are available below. Senator Lugar also introduced several bills in the 109th Congress related to energy.

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Senator Lugar cosponsored the Biofuels Pipeline Act, S. 3291, with Senator Harkin on July 21, 2008. The bill would facilitate construction of pipelines to transport ethanol and other fuels as certified by the Environmental Protection Agency. It would provide comparable tax treatment to pipelines carrying petroleum.
Read a copy of the bill courtesy of the Library of Congress
Read the press release

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Senator Lugar sponsored the International Clean Technology Development Fund, S. 3273, with Senators Biden, Menendez and Hagel on July 16, 2008. The bill would create an International Clean Technology Deployment Fund to aid developing countries’ efforts to tackle climate change and promote international deployment of U.S. clean energy technology as an additional component to the United States’ overall international economic development assistance strategy. The legislation would: add the consideration of climate change more consistently and systematically to our foreign assistance strategy, encourage the export of U.S. clean energy technology and expertise to developing nations, and support only eligible developing countries that take on their own climate change commitments.
Read a copy of the bill courtesy of the Library of Congress
Read the press release
Read the op-ed by Senator Lugar and Treasury Secretary Paulson
Read the Treasury Department's endorsement of the bill

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Senator Lugar cosponsored the Nuclear Safeguards and Supply Act, S. 1138, with Senator Bayh on April 18, 2007. The bill makes it the policy of the United States to discourage the development of enrichment and reprocessing capabilities in additional countries, to encourage the creation of bilateral and multilateral assurances of nuclear fuel supply, and ensure that all supply mechanisms operate in strict accordance with the IAEA safeguards system and do not result in any additional unmet verification burdens for the system.
Read a copy of the bill courtesy of the Library of Congress

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Senator Lugar cosponsored the Energy Efficiency Promotion Act, S. 1115, with Senators Bingaman, Domenici, and others on April 16, 2007.  The bill would reduce our nation's use of fossil fuels by improving efficiency in vehicles, buildings, home appliances and industrial equipment.
Read a copy of the bill courtesy of the Library of Congress

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Senator Lugar cosponsored the Global Climate Change Security Oversight Act, S. 1018, with Senators Durbin and Hagel that was introduced on April 28, 2007.  The bill recognizes the national security implications of climate change, requiring completion of a National Intelligence Estimate to assess the climate change risks and opportunities for the United States.  It also authorizes the Secretary of Defense to carry out additional research on the military impact of global climate change.
Read a copy of the bill courtesy of the Library of Congress

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Senator Lugar sponsored the United States – Brazil Energy Cooperation Pact of 2007, S. 1007, on March 28, 2007. The purpose of this bill is to promote cooperation between the United States and Brazil to develop partnerships with interested countries to promote energy security. The bill focuses on accelerated development of sustainable biofuels production, research (particularly in next generation biofuels) and infrastructure. It also creates a diplomatic platform for accelerated attention to other energy security topics in the Western Hemisphere.
Read a copy of the bill The Adobe Reader logo

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Senator Lugar cosponsored the Ethanol Infrastructure Expansion Act, S. 859, with Senator Harkin on March 13, 2007. The legislation would direct the U.S. Department of Energy to study the feasibility of transporting biofuels by pipeline from the Midwest to the East and West coasts, in order to provide critical information for efficient transit of liquid fuels.
Read a copy of the bill courtesy of the Library of Congress

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Senator Lugar sponsored the Fuel Economy Reform Act, S. 767 and S. 768, with Senators Barack Obama (D-IL), Joe Biden (D-DE), Gordon Smith (R-OR), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Norm Coleman (R-MN), and Arlen Specter (R-PA), on March 5, 2007.  The Fuel Economy Reform Act seeks to break the decades-long logjam on increasing federal fuel economy standards by taking a new, more flexible approach.  It charges the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) to create regular annual increases in fuel economy with a target of 4 percent – roughly one mile per gallon – per year.  The experts at NHTSA will base these standards on attributes of a vehicle such as size and weight, and will be able to revise the annual increase if they conclude that the target cannot be reached with current technology or without compromising the safety of the entire fleet, or is not cost-effective when compared to the economic and geopolitical value of a gallon of gasoline saved.  In order to enable domestic manufacturers to develop more fuel-efficient vehicles, the legislation also provides generous tax incentives for companies to retool parts and assembly plants. This would strengthen the U.S. auto industry by allowing them to compete with foreign hybrid, E-85 and other fuel-efficient vehicles. The bill would also allow more Americans to benefit from a tax credit for the purchase of fuel-efficient vehicles by lifting the current cap that only makes eligible the first 60,000 buyers per manufacturer each year.
Read a copy of S. 767 courtesy of the Library of Congress
Read a copy of S. 768 courtesy of the Library of Congress

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Senator Lugar cosponsored the Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act (America COMPETES Act), S. 761, on March 5, 2007, with Senators Reid (D-NV), McConnell (R-KY), and others. The bill would provide new resources for education and research in the sciences, including for energy. One provision of the bill would double funding for research done through the Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
Read a copy of the bill courtesy of the Library of Congress

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Senator Lugar cosponsored the National Carbon Dioxide Storage Capacity Assessment Act, S. 731, on March 2, 2007.  The bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct an analysis in all 50 states of the potential for underground sequestration of carbon dioxide in natural formations such as saline aquifers, and to asses any potential risks.
Read a copy of the bill courtesy of the Library of Congress

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Senator Lugar cosponsored the Securing America’s Energy Independence Act, S. 590, on February 14, 2007.  The bill would extend solar energy and fuel cell investment tax credits for homeowners and businesses through 2015.  The credits, which were created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, are currently set to expire in 2008.  Specifically, the bill extends through 2015 a 30 percent tax credit for the purchase of residential solar water heating, photovoltaic (PV) equipment and fuel cell property.  It changes the maximum credit to $1,500 for each half-kilowatt of capacity for solar PV equipment and $1,000 for each kilowatt of capacity for fuel cells.  The bill also extends through 2015 a 30 percent business credit for the purchase of fuel cell power plants, solar energy property and fiber-optic property used to illuminate the inside of a structure.  It changes the maximum business tax credit to $1,500 for each half-kilowatt of capacity for solar PV equipment.  Additionally the bill also creates a three-year accelerated depreciation period for all solar equipment eligible for the business solar tax credit.
Read a copy of the bill courtesy of the Library of Congress

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Senator Lugar cosponsored the Dependence Reduction through Innovation in Vehicles and Energy (DRIVE) Act, S. 339, on January 18, 2007.  The DRIVE Act would require the President to create a plan for reducing America’s projected oil consumption by 2.5 million barrels per day (MBD) by 2016, 7 MBD by 2026, and 10 MBD by 2031.  Toward that end, the bill would:

  • expand incentives for the production of cellulosic and sugar-based ethanol;
  • expand incentives for the installation of E-85 infrastructure;
  • require federal and state vehicle fleets to cut oil use by 30 percent by 2016 and ensure that 23 percent of their fleets are advanced diesels, hybrids or plug-in hybrids to ensure that government sets an example and spurs the market for energy innovation;
  • lift the per manufacturer cap on consumer tax credits for the purchase of hybrids and advanced diesels so more consumers receive tax incentives to purchase hybrids;
  • provide tax credits for manufacturers who to retool their factories to build hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric and flex fuel vehicles; and
  • create monetary prizes for overcoming scientific and technical barriers associated with plug-in hybrids and hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Read a copy of the bill courtesy of the Library of Congress

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Senator Lugar sponsored the Energy Diplomacy and Security Act, S. 193, on January 4, 2007. The bill urges the Secretary of State to establish: (1) strategic energy partnerships with the governments of major energy producers and major energy consumers, and with governments of other countries; (2) expand energy emergency preparedness mechanisms; and (3) create a regional-based ministerial Hemisphere Energy Cooperation Forum; (4) and integrate energy security priorities into core State Department activities and create a new coordinator for international energy affairs.
Read the press release
Read a copy of the bill courtesy of the Library of Congress

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Senator Lugar sponsored the National Fuels Initiative, S. 162, on January 4, 2007. The bill seeks to diversify the fuel mix in our transportation system by encouraging sustained production and use of non-petroleum based fuels. Among other things, the bill would promote the installation of E-85 fuel pumps and the supporting infrastructure, require all vehicles marketed in the United States to be flexible fuel capable, and increase fuel economy (CAFÉ) standards. In addition, it would establish a variable tax credit for alternative fuels, payable if/ when oil prices dropped below $45 per barrel. The tax credit would prevent oil producers from artificially dropping their prices in order to drive alternative fuel producers out of business. Finally the proposal would provide incentives for the re-refining of used oil, a practice determined by the EPA to be both environmentally responsible.
Read the press release
Read a copy of the bill courtesy of the Library of Congress

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Senator Lugar cosponsored the Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Production Act, S. 154 and S. 155, with Senators Jim Bunning (R-KY) and Barack Obama (D-IL) on January 4, 2007. New Coal-to-Liquid (CTL) technologies enable coal to be liquefied and refined into a product cleaner than standard diesel. The proposal would create tax incentives for CTL technology and the construction of CTL plants. It would also provide for loan guarantees to stimulate private investment. Finally, the legislation would authorize Department of Defense funds to purchase CTL fuels and integrate them into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Read a copy of the S.154 courtesy of the Library of Congress
Read a copy of the S.155 courtesy of the Library of Congress

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Senator Lugar sponsored the American Fuels Act, S. 133, with Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) on January 4, 2007. The bill would take a multi-step approach to reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil, strengthening the Renewable Fuels Standard, spurring investment in ethanol and biodiesel and providing tax incentives for the production of flexible fuel vehicles that can use alternative fuels. The bill would also allow the U.S. government to lead by example by requiring the government to provide at least one alternative fuel pump on federally owned fueling stations. Similarly, it would require the federal government to increase the percentage of alternative or hybrid vehicles it purchases each year (requiring all federally-purchased vehicles to be alternatives or hybrids by 2014). It would prevent oil companies from prohibiting the sale of alternative fuels at franchise gas stations. Finally, the bill would create a Director of Energy Security.
Read the press release
Read a copy of the bill courtesy of the Library of Congress

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Senator Lugar cosponsored the Biofuels Security Act, S. 23, on January 4, 2006. The bill would increase the use of renewable fuels through higher renewable fuels standards (RFS), greater availability of ethanol pumps and increased production of cars equipped to run on alternative fuel sources. Specifically, the legislation proposes a new renewable fuels standard (RFS) that calls for 60 billion gallons of ethanol and biodiesel to be included in the United States motor vehicle fuel supply annually by the year 2030, calls for increasing the number of gasoline stations that carry blends of 85% ethanol (E85) -- a measure that would result in approximately 50% of all major brand gasoline stations nationwide offering E-85 within 10 years, and directs automakers to gradually increase flex-fuel vehicle (FFV) production, increasing in ten percentage-point increments annually, until nearly all vehicles sold in the United States are FFV's within 10 years.
Read a copy of the bill courtesy of the Library of Congress
Listen to Senator' Lugar's comments about the bill from a press conference (.mp3)

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Senator Lugar sponsored the Biden-Lugar Climate Change Resolution, S. Res. 30, on January 16, 2007. The bill expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States should act to reduce risks posed by global climate change and to foster economic growth by: (1) participating in negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and leading efforts in other international fora with the objective of securing U.S. participation in agreements that advance and protect U.S. interests, that establish mitigation commitments by all countries that are major emitters of greenhouse gases, that establish flexible international mechanisms to minimize the cost of efforts by participating countries, and that achieve a significant long-term reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions; and (2) establishing a bipartisan Senate observer group to monitor international negotiations on climate change and to ensure that the advice and consent function of the Senate is exercised to facilitate timely consideration of any applicable treaty.
Read a copy of the bill courtesy of the Library of Congress
Read a copy of Senator's Lugar testimony for the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee
Read a study by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change titled Agriculture & Forestlands: U.S. Carbon Policy Strategies The Adobe Reader logo.

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Senator Lugar's office addresses.
Please contact the Lugar Energy Initiative at: energy@lugar.senate.gov