it strikes me that the Senator's idea is practical right now. Because you look at the changes we have seen in the last 4 or 5 years--particularly in areas such as natural gas. We were talking about it with the Senators from North Dakota…

In a State like Alaska, with over 60 percent of its lands under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government, it is clear this is a matter of great importance.

This topic is of great importance to her constituents.

as bipartisan discussions go on over the next hour or two on the important Shaheen-Portman energy efficiency legislation, I wish to take a few minutes to outline where we are, why this bill is so important, and how it is going to affect…

I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Louisiana.

I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The hearing will be held on Tuesday, October 1, 2013, at 9:30 a.m., in…

I ask unanimous consent that Larcus Pickett, a fellow in our office, be granted the privilege of the floor for the duration of consideration of S. 1392. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

Let me wrap up with one last question to get a sense of the Senator's intent. My sense is the Senator is very open, as is Senator Portman, that there will be votes. I see our colleagues on the floor who have also been here since Wednesday…

Is it the view of the Senator from New Hampshire that the amendments that have been offered--the bipartisan amendments--take her bill, the product of all those negotiations, more than 3 years' worth of work, and actually make the bill even…

How many years has the Senator from New Hampshire been involved in this legislation? Because I can recall the various iterations that she and Senator Portman offered, and then she worked with various groups, business organizations and…

I just came back from an excellent visit to North Dakota with Senator Hoeven. There are a lot of other issues the Senate wants to tackle in the energy area to make sure we fully tap the potential of natural gas. There are win-win…

I think tapping the potential of natural gas is a winner for this country.

What Senator Murkowski and I have dedicated our service in this committee to be all about is sort of ratcheting this kind of stuff down.

we are not going to vote on this amendment at this time. But when we do, I hope colleagues will support it. I think it is a very fine amendment. I yield the floor and I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will…

before he leaves the floor, let me thank the leader for making sure we could have this opportunity to deal with one of the crucial issues of our time. Leader Reid has a long history in energy efficiency, in renewable energy. I thank him…

I intend to support the Inhofe-Carper amendment. In my view, this is really a commonsense clarification of existing law. I want colleagues to have a sense that this is the kind of bipartisan work that Senator Murkowski talked about…

before he leaves the floor of the Senate, I wish to commend my colleague from Colorado, Senator Udall. This is a practical, commonsense amendment. There is no new expenditure of Federal funds. I am very pleased my colleague brought it to…

I commend the Senator from Colorado on a fine amendment. I hope we are going to get a chance to vote on it. I think he mentioned that commercial buildings consume almost half of the energy used in the United States. What I think is…

I am going to stay here to see if other colleagues would like to bring over their amendments. As I indicated in opening comments a couple hours ago, I think there are at least a dozen good amendments here--amendments that are going to be…

in my view, this is a very practical amendment offered by my friend and colleague from Oregon Senator Merkley. It involves a study on standby power. The amendment would, in effect, fund the study at the Department of Energy to look at…

I am very hopeful that when we get a chance to vote on this amendment the Senate accepts it. I want to put it in the context of where we are, because we are seeing this pattern of Senators--and I was in North Dakota for Senator Hoeven a…

I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a business meeting has been scheduled before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on Tuesday, September 17, 2013, at 9:30 a.m., in room SD-366…

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Amendment No. 1858 (Purpose: To provide for a study and report on standby usage power standards…

I call up amendment No. 1858. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk will report. The legislative clerk read as follows: The Senator from Oregon [Mr. Wyden] for Mr. Merkley, proposes an amendment numbered…

I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Heinrich). The clerk will call the roll. The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.