Negotiators for the House and Senate will have much to debate when they meet this month to hash out their differences over what could be the state’s biggest energy bill in two decades. 

The House version is simple, essentially requiring utilities to buy up to 1,200 megawatts of Canadian hydropower and a similar amount from proposed offshore wind farms to make the region’s energy mix more environmentally friendly.

In contrast, the bill the Senate Passed Thursday is far broader, involving many forms of energy. 

The two sides face a July 31 deadline. That’s not much time to reconcile the differences. The goals include ensuring the reliable transmission of electricity as older plants close and meeting the state’s aggressive greenhouse gas emissions standards.

Here are the highlights of the Senate’s plan, which could make for a hot July in the conference committee. 

■ Natural gas: The Senate unanimously passed a measure to protect electricity customers from being charged for natural gas pipeline construction. The reason? The bill would counter the Baker administration’s review of tariff proposals aimed at eventually curbing electric costs by getting more gas here to feed power plants. (This effort is already the subject of a legal fight before the state Supreme Judicial Court.) Gas opponents put on the full-court press, flooding lawmakers’ offices with calls and media outlets with anti-pipeline ads. The industry, meanwhile, will look to House Speaker Robert DeLeo’s team to keep this from becoming law.

Read the Entire Boston Globe Article here