Congressional Republicans Draft Energy Bill to Aid the West	
Rep. Joe Barton has spliced together emergency legislation aimed at aiding energy markets in the Western United States via funding for improvements in California's constrained transmission line SP-15 and directing federal disaster officials to prepare for power outages.  The move by Republicans came as Democratic criticism of the Bush administration's response to the California power crisis intensified Wednesday.  Although the bill will not contain the price caps sought by Democrats and a handful of Republicans, Barton said he would allow amendments in support of price controls during committee deliberations.  A list circulated by GOP staff in recent weeks includes a range of ideas such as relaxing environmental rules, subject to a governor's request; increasing federal energy assistance to low-income consumers; firing up mothballed power plants; and directing federal facilities to reduce energy use by 10%.  Additionally, the bill would grant governors the flexibility to allow power plants that have exceeded emissions limits to temporarily keep operating during emergencies.