Some Republicans Say Open to US Climate Change Bill (Alexander, Graham, Brown)

CNBC ^ | 4/13/2010 | Reuters

[GreaterSwiss]

Some prominent Republican senators expressed openness Tuesday to a U.S. climate change bill that might be introduced next week and that would need bipartisan support to have any chance of advancing.

Carbon Emissions Senator Lamar Alexander, a member of the Republican leadership in the Senate, praised the sector-by-sector approach in a compromise bill aimed at reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.

"I think a sector-by-sector approach makes a lot more sense for dealing with carbon," the Tennessee senator told reporters.

Winning Republican support would be big breakthrough for Democrats and the Obama White House, especially as some Republican lawmakers have been sharply critical of climate legislation because of concerns industry would be hurt and also due to skepticism over the science behind global warming.

The sector-by-sector approach contrasts to an economy-wide approach taken by a bill passed last year in the House that was also sharply criticized by Republican lawmakers.

Alexander said he "would consider a cap on utilities only if we could figure out the right way to do it that didn't drive costs up substantially over the short term."

Republican Senator Scott Brown, whose election in January robbed Democrats of their 60-seat supermajority, told Reuters, "I'm open to reading anything that's being proposed" for climate change legislation.

[ElkGroveDan]

"I think a sector-by-sector approach makes a lot more sense for dealing with carbon," the Tennessee senator told reporters.

Can we also get a "sector-by-sector approach" to deal with the pixie dust, Lamar?

[EGPWS]

...to deal with the pixie dust,...

Now there's a REAL killer!!

Pass it along to Washington so they can prove it via popular vote.

[unspun]

RINOs who must be opposed, now and when they run again.

Add them to the list of Snowe, Collins, McCain, and Graham.

[Sybeck1]

Brown has become quite the maverick. Wonder if he will be primaried?

[afnamvet]

If there is a cohesive Tea Party organizied in Mass. then he should be primaried.

[bamahead]

Add them to the list of Snowe, Collins, McCain, and Graham.

Now you've got Graham listed twice. Appropriate.

[Vaquero]

As God is My witness, I'll never expel carbon again!

[Texas4ever]

Need to put it in context....not snips of an article.

I dont believe we should be against everything the Democrats propose...level headed people...wanted in office
to get things done...it doesnt matter who presents the bill...is it good for the country? Does it make sense? Will it cost me and if so, what? Can we afford it?

I want to know more!

[bwc2221]

I contributed $35 to Brown so now I am on his e-mail list. He is always offering something for contributions. First it was stadium cushions. Now it's a bat and ball. Must have confused him self with Jim Bunning.

I responded to the latest e-mail, saying take me off your list. It was a one-time contribution, dictated by circumstances.

[businessprofessor]

I will be optimistic and hope that these statements are head fakes. Republicans cannot act obstructive. Hopefully, they are just posturing for public opinion points. Carbon taxation in any form is the road to economic ruin.

[DBrow]

“Republican Senator Scott Brown, whose election in January robbed Democrats of their 60-seat supermajority, told Reuters, “I’m open to reading anything that’s being proposed” for climate change legislation.”

Being willing to actually read a bill is not tantamount to support. “Journalism” strikes again!

How many other senators ever read a bill?

[afnamvet]

These poor excuses for senators’ job 1 is to get America back to work with a absolute moratorium on new taxes. Climate Change, Crap and Trade and all of the rest of the socialist commie bastard agenda must be stopped. /rant

[manc]

it’s the majority from the north east, Maybe they spend time too much time with the rats to actually vote and think like most on the right do.

Ah sod it lets just build a wall from along VA’s border

[ez]

Dear South Carolina,

Please fire Lindsay Graham.

Thank you.

ez

[Carling]

I was ready to pile on Brown, but you're right. Every GOP senator should be “open to reading” this piece of garbage. That way, it can be debated on substance by the GOP, like Jack Ryan did with the HC bill.

The problem is the Dems won't read it, and they'll vote for it anyhow.

[supercat]

If we had some good detailed explanations of the bill and its regulatory relationship with the EPA control of plain Carbon Dioxide without congressional supervision we might be able to get people to understand what is being done to them.

I would explain that Cap and Trade is about requiring any company using oil, coal, or natural gas to buy "carbon credits"--essentially like ration stamps--for the energy used. Such stamps would be supplied by private entities whom the government had authorized to produce and sell them. There's already a multi-billion dollar marketplace for these carbon credits; participants are speculating on the hope that government will start mandating that companies buy them, since without such a mandate the credits are completely worthless. Cap and Trade has nothing to do with saving the environment, and everything to do with funneling billions of dollars into the pockets of crooks and swindlers.

[mapmaker77]

I’ve got an idea on how to curtail this lunacy, just make these self important freakin’ rinos pay for it themselves.

[Deb]

The ‘Rats don’t need to read bills. They do what they’re told. Reading what they’re told to vote for just takes time away from their Jack Daniels.

[Wisky Business]

Anybody who even acknowledges global warmings exists should not be in office. Republican or Democrat.

[rintense]

A good number of us were under no false illusions about Brown.