President Barack Obama has summoned Sen. Jeff Bingaman to the White House on Wednesday for a one-on-one talk about energy policy, including the legislative prospects for the “clean energy” standard that was a central part of last week’s State of the Union speech.
Bingaman (D-N.M.) is Obama’s first and most important target if the so-called CES has any chance of making it into law in 2011, before presidential politics consume Capitol Hill.
A White House spokesman said Tuesday that the meeting with Bingaman was a follow up to the State of the Union message and Obama’s call for “policies to promote clean energy and strengthen our security, decrease pollution, and create new jobs.
The Energy and Natural Resources Committee chairman has long been critical of the idea of including more traditional forms of energy like nuclear power and “clean coal” in a nationwide standard. Instead, he prefers an exclusive focus on renewables like wind, solar and geothermal power.
Monday, Bingaman pledged to work with the White House during a speech at the National Press Club. But he also held his ground when talking about what he thought should count toward clean energy.
“Obviously,” he said, “there are a lot of details to be worked out.”
Bingaman spokesman Bill Wicker said the senator expects to cover a lot of ground with Obama at their 4:30 p.m. meeting, from oil and gas drilling off the Outer Continental Shelf to the CES.
“It’s certainly very topical ever since the president gave it a very prominent mention in his State of the Union the other night,” Wicker said.
The Associated Press first reported Obama’s meeting with Bingaman earlier Tuesday.
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