ENERGY-MODEL BILL VOTE DELAYED ANOTHER DAY

UNCLAS BRASILIA 000509 SIPDIS NSC FOR DEMPSEY DOE FOR GWARD COMMERCE FOR 4332/WBASTAIN/JANDERSON/DMCDOUGALL COMMERCE FOR 3134/010/DEVITO/ANDERSON/OLSON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ENRG EINV EFIN PGOV ECON BR SUBJECT: ENERGY-MODEL BILL VOTE DELAYED ANOTHER DAY REF: A. BRASILIA 464 ¶B. 03 BRASILIA 321 ¶C. 03 BRASILIA 3940 ¶D. 03 BRASILIA 2859 Other legislative priorities delayed yesterday's (March 3) scheduled vote on Brazil's new energy model (Ref A) by one day. A Senate contact has told us the vote is expected to take place later today (March 4) after a plenary debate in the Senate, which we have confirmed was underway as of early-afternoon local time. Industry representatives continue to lobby furiously, including the visiting Duke International President, who will meet with Minister of Mines and Energy Dilma Rousseff this afternoon with a request for eleventh-hour changes to render the new model less detrimental to current private investors. It looks unlikely that industry will achieve any such major changes in the bill at this stage. If it were to do so, the legislation would have to be returned to Congress's lower chamber for reconciliation and a further vote there. VIRDEN