Big Oil seeks natural gas deal in U.S. climate bill

Major oil companies were calling on three U.S. senators struggling over a compromise climate bill to provide new breaks for natural gas drilling as the lawmakers said the legislation might not be unveiled until at least the end of April. For the second time in a week the senators crafting the compromise, John Kerry, a Democrat, Lindsey Graham, a Republican, and Joe Lieberman, an independent, met with industry groups and oil companies in hopes of advancing ideas on the long-delayed legislation. Lieberman said there had been "no alteration" of their goal to reduce U.S. carbon emissions by 17 percent by 2020, from 2005 levels, which is in the range President Barack Obama favors. But thorny issues remained unresolved, such as putting fees on motor fuels during tough economic times, and regulating the drilling of vast supplies of natural gas from shale...read more