Supply, cost, environmental consequences -- these are among the central features of debate over energy policy in the U.S. Those who want to open up more areas to drilling -- on land and offshore - - and expand the use of fracking to extract natural gas from deep underground argue that we must reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Others argue that we must limit the burning of fossil fuels and create cleaner sources of energy to cut greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change.

In his second inaugural address, President Obama said that any failure to deal with climate change "would betray our children and future generations." Still, there was little legislation in the 113th Congress that tackled what he described as "the overwhelming judgment of science." And there was no comprehensive energy package in the 112th Congress, though an extension of energy tax incentives was included as part of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.

The 113th Congress considered two major pieces of legislation that could have potentially affected energy and climate change policy in the US. The first was H.R. 3, the Northern Route Approval Act, which passed the House of Representatives in May 2013 and would permit the construction of the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline. The second was S. 761, the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013 S. 761, the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013 (H.R. 1616), which would provide for adoption of uniform building codes and state grants for energy efficiency programs. The Senate bill never received a vote. The FRAC Act also received a lot of attention in the 112th and 113th Congress. That bill aimed to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to repeal the exemption for hydraulic fracturing.

Outside Congress, on June 2, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposed rule aimed at decreasing carbon pollution from power plants by 30 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. Aimed mainly at shrinking pollution from coal-fired power plants, the rule would assign each state a target reduction level, but also gives states a range of options to use to achieve their targets. In early 2015, EPA said it would delay the carbon rules for power plants, and develop an implementation plan for states that fail to come up with their own plans for cutting emissions. But EPA also announced plans to regulate emissions of methane, another greenhouse gas, from industrial sources.

Meanwhile, the GOP-led 114th Congress took office and immediately brought to the floor of both the House and Senate what some regard as a critical piece of energy legislation. The House passed H.R. 3, the Keystone XL Pipeline Act, on Jan. 9, 2015. The Senate wasted little time, approving its version of the Keystone bill, S.1, on Jan. 29. Both bills would authorize the construction of the TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, which would transport Canadian crude oil through the U.S. President Obama has threatened to veto the legislation.

-- Miriam Diemer

Updated: January 29, 2015

Top Contributors, 2013-2014

Contributor Amount Koch Industries $9,553,485 Alliance Resource Partners $4,906,495 Ken Davis Finance $2,936,395 National Rural Electric Cooperative Assn $2,210,122 Chevron Corp $2,145,318 Exxon Mobil $2,032,929 Exelon Corp $1,721,009 Murray Energy $1,506,789 Western Refining $1,296,139 Marathon Petroleum $1,242,800 Occidental Petroleum $1,225,290 Duke Energy $1,096,474 Southern Co $987,907 Dominion Resources $965,104 Devon Energy $914,555 Ariel Corp $903,200 Noble Royalties $845,650 PG&E Corp $842,888 Cumberland Development $806,850 FirstEnergy Corp $787,800

Republicans Outside Spending Groups



Contributions to DemocratsRepublicansOutside Spending Groups

...view more Contributors

Contribution Trends, 1990-2014

Loading Chart

...view Totals

Top Industries Lobbying on Energy/Natural Resources, 2014

Industry Total Oil & Gas $144,126,531 Electric Utilities $128,207,074 Misc Energy $45,890,373 Mining $26,283,524 Environmental Svcs/Equipment $5,230,378

Lobbying Totals, 1998-2014

Loading Chart

...view more Lobbying

Party Split, 1990-2014

Loading Chart

Top Recipients, 2013-2014

Candidate Office Amount Boehner, John (R-OH) House $1,801,678 Landrieu, Mary L (D-LA) Senate $1,426,855 McConnell, Mitch (R-KY) Senate $1,346,143 Cornyn, John (R-TX) Senate $1,315,656 Gardner, Cory (R-CO) House $1,204,038

...view more Recipients

Average Contributions to Members of Congress, 1990-2014

Loading Chart

Loading Chart