WASHINGTON (AP) — The worst oil spill in U.S. history and a year on track to be the hottest on record were not enough to push an energy bill through the Senate this summer.
Senate Democratic leaders announced Tuesday they don’t have the 60 votes necessary to pass a scaled-back bill that would lift the cap on oil spill liability for energy companies and jump-start electric and natural gas-powered cars.
Majority Leader Harry Reid said he was unable to find a handful of Republicans to vote for a bill.
The delay is the latest setback for Democrats trying to pass energy legislation. Late last month, they were forced to drop a limit on pollution blamed for global warming because there wasn’t enough support for it.
