Republicans are trying hard to discredit the new Energy Bill. Their argument is that companies should not be "too" liable for accidents like the one in the Gulf of Mexico.

According to Reuters, some Republicans and moderate Democrats in the Senate are trying to take apart a new energy bill that they complained goes too far in holding oil companies responsible for accidents like the massive Gulf of Mexico spill.

"I think people who are very serious about responding to the spill in the Gulf should be offended by what has been presented" this week by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, said Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski.

Murkowski said that while there were some good ideas in the bill -- such as incentives for the U.S. trucking industry to use cleaner-burning natural gas as a fuel -- she singled out the "complete elimination of the liability cap" for criticism.

The Alaskan is the senior Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Industry analysts also see the Senate bill coming down hard on the offshore drilling industry with measures that they say will drive up insurance and other costs.

"Not only would the bill retroactively remove oil spill liability limits for offshore facilities, it would also require undefined and potentially very steep proof of financial responsibility to participate in offshore activities," said Whitney Stanco, analyst at the Washington Research Group.

Republicans have their own energy bill, which would bring an end to President Barack Obama's Gulf of Mexico oil drilling moratorium. It also rejects retroactive, unlimited oil spill liability on companies like BP in favor of a targeted approach.

Indicative of the partisan fight that is heating up over the energy bill, Reid spokesman Jim Manley portrayed the Republican energy bill this way: "Republicans want taxpayers to foot the bill for BP's disaster and allow BP to use endless legal battles to run out the clock ... just like Exxon did to victims of the Valdez spill" in Alaska 21 years ago.

Source: Reuters