Senate Climate Bill to Be Unveiled April 26

Source: Reuters

A long-awaited compromise bill to reduce U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases blamed for global warming will be unveiled by a group of senators on April 26, sources said on Thursday.

The legislative language to be sketched out in 11 days, according to government and environmental sources, is being drafted by Democratic Senator John Kerry, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and independent Senator Joseph Lieberman.

Like the House-passed bill and Obama administration policy, it would set a target of 17 percent reductions in smokestack emissions of carbon dioxide by 2020, from 2005 levels.

On Wednesday, a Senate source told Reuters the legislation would prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating carbon dioxide emissions. It would also end state and regional carbon-trading programs, such as the one several Northeastern states participate in, to be replaced by a national carbon reduction policy.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/04/15/news/news-us-climate-usa-congress.html?ref=news

Not.

Senator Kerry often spoke of the experience with acid rain. There the reduction needed happened much much faster than expected and for less than half the cost anticipated. Putting a price on carbon will lead to companies explicitly considering it when they make their business decisions and it will create the impetus needed to fuel research into more efficient technology.

Do you think a stronger bill would have a prayer of succeeding? You do know that Kerry/Boxer did not have the votes - and there was no way to get them. There are many Democratic Senators, who have not been on our side. Last year, the language to allow this to be done under reconciliation was not included - in fact, the Johanns amendment, that Senators like Feingold voted for, specifically prohibited it. So, 60 votes are needed.

nt

It isn't perfect, but it is a very good step in the right direction.

As in the health bill, which contains various measures and policies that make it HARDER for states to pursue single-payer, and fails to include necessary measures to protect this right, it is crucial that we have steps FORWARD and not one step forward two steps back

If a Republican wins in 2012 or 2016, it will be dismantled. I have seen things that have said different things on state regulation. Some suggest that some typed of state regulation will be allowed. The real test, when the entire bill is known, is whether the existing hodgepodge is better. If this bill really does lower the emissions by 17% by 2010, I think the bill is better than the status quo.

As to the healthcare bill, how many states enacted single payer over the 40 years or so that doing something was debated?