Members of the select group of lawmakers who’ll be crafting a compromise energy bill haven’t been chosen, but Iowa Congressman Jim Nussle may be part of that group. Nussle served on last year’s conference committee which failed to reach a common solution acceptable to both the House and Senate. Nussle says he spoke with the Speaker of the U.S. House about this year’s bill. Nussle says he was placed on the conference committee last year because he’s chairman of the House Budget Committee and had an interest in the ethanol issue as well. Nussle calls this year’s action, thus far, a “good first step.” Nussle says the energy bill is one of the highest priorities for Congress when they resume work in September. Nussle says the Senate “punted” by passing the same bill it did last year, but he says at least there’s an opportunity to work on the bill at a crucial time as there’s a looming shortage of natural gas and heightened security issues surrounding U.S. reliance on foreign oil.
