United Press International: The U.S. Senate passed an energy bill late Thursday that drops a tax hike for oil companies and a minimum requirement for utilities on renewable sources. The final vote was 86-8 after Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., agreed to strip the tax increase out of the bill, The New York Times reported. The bill retains a big increase in fuel-economy standards for the car industry and incentives for alternative fuels. Both the tax hike, which totaled $13 billion, and the requirement …