Barton Applauds Senate Committee Approval of Bipartisan Energy Bill WASHINGTON -The Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources completed five days of markup today with the passage of a bipartisan energy bill by a vote of 21-1. U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, issued the following statement today on the bill’s passage: “This is welcome news. Now if the full Senate can pass their legislation, we can begin the process of working toward a final bill. The House and Senate won't agree on everything, but working out differences is what conference committees are for, and I look forward to calling the first meeting. It's starting to look like we agree on the need, and that's a constructive step forward. The sooner we can get to work, the better.” ####