Tuesday Night Action: Senate to Vote on Energy Tax Hikes

From The Hill:

The Senate will hold a test vote Tuesday evening on a Democratic plan to repeal several tax breaks for the big five oil companies.

The plan would repeal an estimated $21 billion worth of incentives over a decade from Exxon, Shell, BP, ConocoPhillips and Chevron.

The vote on a motion to formally proceed to the bill will require support from 60 senators, and it faces big hurdles amid widespread opposition from Republicans and Democrats from oil producing states.

Because, as is noted, Republicans and several Democrats oppose the legislation, the measure could well fail.

However, Sen. Menendez, Sen. McCaskill and others up for re-election in 2012 have been pushing hard for it, apparently unworried about angering voters and aiding their eventual opponents by generating a steady stream of attack ad material.