Is the Lieberman-Warner Climate Bill on its Last Legs?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 05. 8.08
Oh Lieberman-Warner climate bill, we hardly knew ye: Climate Progress' Joe Romm brings us the sad news that the legislation may be on its way out -- victim, as he put it, of "apathy" and some serious watering down (read: neutering). Oh yes: It also turns out that whole "getting 60 votes" thing got in the way:
Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) shrugged off suggestions she is having trouble winning over moderates and conservatives from either party in her quest to find 60 votes and squash an inevitable filibuster.“To tell you the truth, we don’t know if we’ll wind up getting 60 votes this time,” Boxer said in an interview. “But we do believe we’re making tremendous progress and we’re going to start the debate.”
Sorry Sen. Boxer but, in this case, simply "starting the debate" won't cut it -- not when the livelihood of future generations depends on it. As per Washington's usual modus operandi, pork-barreling and favor-seeking -- the few things senators seem to be really good at doing, sometimes -- are threatening to hold up the bill. All of a sudden, that cap-and-trade system to cut 2005 emission levels by 70% is looking a tad ambitious.
Warner and Lieberman have been falling over each other trying to assuage their colleagues' concerns, throwing fig leaves left and right -- including a provision to allow the president to "pull back the throttle" (or back down) if the emission targets prove too difficult to reach -- in a last-ditch effort to attain the 60 vote margin.
Most telling was a quote from Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), who is one of several senators to be considering an alternative "climate" bill offered by Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH): “It’s a more realistic approach to what technology is going to be required. Just legislating it, doesn’t get you there.” And he's right: Voinovich's bill is much more realistic -- primarily because, oh, it does absolutely nothing to fight climate change.
Kind of makes you wonder how the Democratic presidential candidates are hoping to get their (much) more ambitious climate bills passed.
Via ::Climate Progress: Lieberman-Warner moved from critical condition to the morgue (blog)
See also: ::McCain Wants a Gas Tax Holiday; What About the Dems?, ::Senator Bond Slams Global Warming Bill
I will never forgive CT for re-electing that POS. Don't let anyone tell you that Americans are against the war, they aren't.
The E&E News article is nothing we didn't know when the bill was introduced. BREAKING NEWS - it's going to be hard to get 60 votes for a strong climate bill in the Senate. Stop the presses! Boxer made the same comments in March.
And really, this blog post is nothing you wouldn't know if you'd read Joseph Romm's post. Except for your telling line about Dem candidates and tougher bills. Gee, you don't think they might have to make some compromises to get them passed, do you? If so, will you fight those bills, too?
Interesting developments. Honestly, I wouldn't expect much out of Washington until 2009 or 2010. The mantle will be carried forward by the state and regional groups - RGGI (Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative), for instance - will hold the first carbon allowance auctions in the US later this year or early next. Regional efforts like this and especially efforts lead by California , and others in the west, will drag the feds, kicking and screaming most likely, to national climate legislation.
Another big consideration will be the ongoing EPA/California CO2 battle. The next Administrator is likely to be more persuadable than Mr. Johnson, at least let's hope so.