Beam Me to Planet Gore !
Posted on 10/24/2009 5:03:26 PM PDT by jazusamo
Senate Democrats are looking to restart momentum for climate legislation, which has taken a backseat to healthcare.
The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee next week opens debate on the Kerry-Boxer bill with three hearings over three days in which more than 50 witnesses are scheduled to testify.
Not much has happened since the House passed its climate bill in late June on a tight vote, but Senate Democrats hope to make progress on one of the administration’s highest priorities before global climate talks in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December.
One marathon session set for Thursday on the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act will include 22 witnesses on four panels. That follows two days of hearings, the first of which will receive testimony from the secretaries of the departments of Energy, Transportation and the Interior and the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
On Friday, climate watchers were waiting for a revised version of the climate bill co-sponsored by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who is the chairwoman of the Senate EPW Committee. The revision was expected to provide more detail about how valuable pollution allowances companies will have to hold under the cap-and-trade mechanism would be divided.
The first cost estimate from EPA on the Senate version of climate legislation was expected to accompany the latest draft. The EPA has projected a modest cost impact for the House climate bill, although critics said it relied in part on unrealistic assumptions like a big growth in nuclear power plants, which don’t emit carbon dioxide when operating.
There is no shortage of studies estimating the costs of the climate bill. Last week, Doug Elmendorf, the director of the Congressional Budget Office, told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that there would be “some cost” to the legislation, although overall the economic impact might not be that severe.
But for particular sectors — like fossil fuel producers — the impact could be significant, Elmendorf warned. Regional differences make building a coalition to reach the 60-vote threshold difficult, but supporters insist not impossible.
The most immediate financial impact is being felt on K Street, where a number of players are hiring lobbyists for the first time to weigh in on the massive measure, according to a study this summer by the Center for Public Integrity.
The watchdog counted 1,150 companies and advocacy organizations registered to lobby on climate in the weeks before the June vote in the House on the climate bill, a 30 percent increase since the start of the year, according to the Center for Public Integrity.
A number of those stakeholders will show up next week at the EPW’s three-day look at the climate bill. The testifiers include climate bill supporter John Rowe, who made news recently by pulling his company, Exelon, out of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over the business group’s aggressive stance against climate legislation.
Bill Klesse, chairman and CEO of Valero Energy Corp., an oil refiner, will testify on Tuesday. One thing to watch is how the Senate addresses transportation fuels. Right now, refiners are on the hook for the emissions at their plants and those their products emit when used. The allowances they receive in the House bill don’t cover nearly that amount. The Senate is expected to be much more generous. One lobbyist for an oil refiner said Senate staff was offering a bit more to small refiners to help ease their costs under a cap-and-trade bill and split off some industry support from the bill.
Jazusamo,
I agree.
Drill Here Drill now.
Of course, Exelon production is 2/3 Nuclear, and they will be given energy credit targets by the State of Illinois, and easily will be able to trade those credits, as they will not hit near the cap at all. Their strategy must be to make a bundle on trading/selling their credits to the poor bastards in the Midwest with coal-fired generation, and produce their power in a Red State.
The federal government has no business sticking their nose into this matter at all. Burn that into your brain and never forget it.
How thoughtless are we as a nation for crying out loud?
That is the most ridiculous statement that lacks ANY possibility of resolution that ever was!
Senate panel begins work on economy and job killing bill
I’m not worried, they can only screw up one thing at a time. One more nail in the Democratic Party coffin for 2010. I believe in climate change - it’s going to be a cold, cold winter for the Democrats.
How asinine is that?? LMAO!
It will still cause electricity bills for homes and business to dramatically increase. These worthless, evil, corrupt, greedy men and women know this.
The “Kerry - Boxer bill” says all I need to know. It can’t be good.
I believe they’re going to have a hard time starting that “momentum.”
Exactly.
It's our way of life that is at issue.
Political party affiliation is nothing but paint on the ship.
I will never understand this need for party membership when it comes to politics that we as a country tote.
Granted, I would NEVER consider voting for a modern day dimocrat, however there are MANY republicans that I wouldn't vote for and would vote for a liberal minded politician first because they are less liberal than a RINO.
Anarchy now! Recall and impeach them all before they put the coup de grâce into what’s left of our staggering economy.
Absolutely...probably in the 30% range, but the utilities will claim "regulation" caused it! Either way, win-win for corporations, and The Messiah will claim he "saved the planet"!
And those who wrote it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.