US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) told reporters Tuesday the Senate will act on climate legislation in early 2010.
His statement confirmed what has been obvious for at least a month–that the US will not have a comprehensive law in place to address climate change before the Copenhagen summit next month. This is part of the reason why world leaders decided this week that a legally binding treaty would not be achievable this year.
Although Reid said the Senate will "try" to pass legislation in the spring, it will be even more difficult, as 2010 is a midterm election year, and moderate Democrats have already withdrawn support for strong measures.
A report on The Hill explains that the Democratic chairmen of the six Senate committees with jurisdiction over climate legislation have different views on what the law should look like.
Two of theses chairmen, Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), come from states where the coal industry holds tremendous sway. They are not likely to push for a sweeping change to energy policy.
On the other hand, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) co-authored a version of the legislation and pushed hard to pass it this year.
Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, is said to be somewhere in the middle, and Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) of the Agriculture Committee, told The Hill earlier this month that the Senate should focus on jobs and the economy.
Read the full report at the link below.
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