Jeff Bingaman Is Key To Senate Climate Bill

The best hope for passing an energy and climate bill in the U.S. Senate this year may lie with Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), according to Politico.

The mild-mannered lawmaker has been methodically passing bipartisan bills through his Energy and Natural Resources Committee, working to find common ground with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), the top Republican on the committee. 

The committee approved an energy bill last spring that may become the centerpiece for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s energy push this month. The bill, which includes a renewable eletricity standard (RES), won "yes" votes from four Republicans on the comittee and two moderate Democrats–all of whom were expected to align against the Kerry-Lieberman climate change bill. 

In addition, Bingaman and the committee are hammering out a compromise on a cap-and-trade program for power plants only, that could be amended to the bill. 

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