Senate Gets a Climate and Energy Bill, Modified by a Gulf Spill That Still Grows

[TomCADem]

Source: NY Times

WASHINGTON — The long delayed and much amended Senate plan to deal with global warming and energy was unveiled on Wednesday to considerable fanfare but uncertain prospects.

After nearly eight months of negotiations with lawmakers and interest groups, Senators John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut, produced a 987-page bill that tries to limit climate-altering emissions, reduce oil imports and create millions of new energy-related jobs.

The sponsors rewrote the section on offshore oil drilling in recent days to reflect mounting concern over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, raising new hurdles for any future drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts while allowing it to proceed off Louisiana, Texas and Alaska.

Mr. Kerry said the United States was crippled by a broken energy policy and falling behind in the global race for leadership in clean-energy technology.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/13/science/earth/13climate.html

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Lindsey Graham wrote an offshore drilling section, but it is now stripped down following the spill, and he ain't supporting it. Some environmental advocates were involved in drafting the bill and were highly supportive, but the United States Chamber of Commerce, not surprisingly, refused to endorse the bill.

[Gregin Orlando]

1. That won't happen with Reps like this in congress

Check out this open letter and what she is sending out to her constituents!

http://www.examiner.com/x-38220-Orlando-Independent-Examiner~y2010m5d12-Open-letter-to-Rep-Ginny-BrownWaite-and-any-other-advocate-of-more-off-shore-drilling