Senate Climate Change Legislation

The Senate is to debate a bill in June that could cut total US global warming emissions by 66 percent by 2050. The bill is sponsored by Joe Lieberman and John Warner. Naturally it is meeting some opposition from the Bush administration and its "conservative" allies.

From the Washington Post today:

A conservative, free-market advocacy group will begin airing ads this week pressing Senate Republicans and Democrats to vote against a bill that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Club for Growth wants to scuttle a bill by Sens. Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut, and John Warner, R-Va., that the Senate is scheduled to begin debating next month. Despite the ad campaign, the bill seems to lack the votes needed to overcome a filibuster.

From Reuters, via PlanetArk.com:

Sen. Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat who heads the environment committee, said this version of the bill offers tools to soften the impact of high prices during the transition to a lower-carbon economy. These include a utilities rebate program and tax relief.

A coalition of 20 environmental groups including the Sierra Club, the Environmental Defence Fund and the Natural Resources Defence Council praised the effort but said carbon cuts should be tougher.

"The best chance for progress this year on federal global warming pollution limits is for the Senate to strengthen and pass the Climate Security Act," the groups said in a statement. "The bill needs to be strengthened to ensure that it will meet the reductions that science dictates are needed to prevent dangerous global warming."

We'll be following this debate closely in June. Stay tuned.

Technorati Tags: Climate change, Global warming, Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act

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