OBSERVERS EXPECT PIECEMEAL BILLS ON ENERGY IMPACTS OF HURRICANE

Industry officials and environmentalists are downplaying the prospects for broad energy legislation to address fuel vulnerabilities highlighted by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, an assessment that comes in response to recent statements by congressional leaders on the need to reexamine these issues just weeks after Congress passed a massive new energy law. But environmentalists are bracing for the possibility of piecemeal legislation that may revive failed provisions from the past energy debate, such as easing permitting requirements for refiners, as...