AP Interview: Kerry: Energy bill more about jobs

[ProSense]

AP Interview: Kerry: Energy bill more about jobs

By MATTHEW DALY and FREDERIC J. FROMMER, Associated Press Writers

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kerry, hoping to win over wavering senators, said he is pushing environmental reforms to create jobs and spark energy independence, with climate benefits along "for the ride."

In an interview with The Associated Press, the Massachusetts Democrat said legislation he's crafting with Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., will differ from a House-passed bill that embraces a so-called "cap and trade" approach to reduce pollution blamed for global warming.

"It will be a very different mix of a bill from where we were at the end of the House effort," Kerry said. "It will be simpler, and hopefully, capable of attracting support."

By pushing for alternative sources of energy such as wind, solar and nuclear power, the bill could create more than a million jobs while reducing pollution and cleaning up the air, Kerry said in the Thursday interview.

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[glowing]

1. Stick in that nuclear power and billions go sucking straight into corporations.

GE anyone.

[karynnj]

3. There are problems with nuclear - starting with waste disposal,

but it is also clear that NOTHING will pass without money allocated to it. From things Kerry has said in the past, I would assume that he would prefer to have less nuclear, but not if the cost is that nothing passes. It is too important.

[karynnj]

2. This is a great positive interview

This is one of things that I admire about Kerry - he doesn't give up when everything is stacked against him. Here, the difficulty is that the well funded campaign to lie about climate change has made it harder, as has the intransigence of the Democrats from coal states.