Reuters - "Senate Democrats to offer climate bill" - Tougher Than House Version?

[TomCADem]

In a slight surprise, the initial Senate version is tougher than the House version:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090929/pl_nm/us_climate_usa

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A climate change bill circulating in the Senate on Tuesday is slightly more ambitious than one passed in the House of Representatives, but still has many details to be worked out on how to encourage companies to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases.

The legislation by Senators Barbara Boxer and John Kerry to be formally unveiled on Wednesday aims to reduce smokestack emissions of carbon dioxide by 20 percent by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050 -- from 2005 levels.

A controversial bill that narrowly passed the House in June calls for a 17 percent cut by 2020 in the pollution from utilities, manufacturers and oil refineries -- industries being blamed for global warming.

The 800-page draft was quickly denounced by Senate Republicans, setting up a divisive fight over environmental legislation, similar to the bitter struggle now being waged over healthcare reform. Their opposition underscored the uncertainty over the bill's fate this year.

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Senator James Inhofe, the senior Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee and an outspoken opponent of climate change legislation, told reporters that he "can't imagine" the bill being debated and passed by the full Senate this year.