A Citizen’s Guide

It looks like the last day of the special session won’t be uneventful.

Democratic Rep. Ethan Berkowitz, the House minority leader, is planning to introduce an amendment to the bill changing the Stranded Gas Development Act that would delay consideration of the gas contract for months.

The current bill would extend—from 30 days to 120—the time the administration has to respond to public comments and come back with a revised contract and fiscal interest finding.

Berkowitz wants to change the requirement to a minimum of 180 days, meaning the administration couldn’t produce a final contract until about six months from now, after this year’s election.

“Politics has clouded this gas contract,” said Rep. Les Gara, another Democrat supporting the change. “We might as well just wait for the next governor.”

There may be a way procedurally that the Democrats could block the current bill granting the extra time if lawmakers don’t support Berkowitz’s change forcing even more extra time. In essence, the administration could be forced to choose between having 30 days (from July 24), which is what the law gives now, and having to wait 180—which means it might not be this administration.

The House has taken a recess without official mention of the amendment or any work on the oil tax bill, the other main item of the day.