Juliet Eilperin has a story for the Washington Post online that reveals the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will “unveil a bill Wednesday that aims for a 20 percent reduction in U.S. greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions from 2005 levels by the year 2020, according to several sources and a close to final version of the bill[.]”This “near-term climate target” is stiffer than the bill the House passed earlier in the summer. That bill mandated cutting emissions by 17 percent by 2020. Still, both bills “would require an 83 percent reduction in [GHGs] from the 2005 baseline by 2050.” The Senate bill also includes a proposal to allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate large GHG sources. This would include coal-fired power plants. This measure was not a part of the House bill.
‘“It's clearly stronger than the House bill,’ said Frank O'Donnell, who heads the advocacy group Clean Air Watch. ‘This very well may be the high-water mark for strong action on climate in this Congress, since it will face many efforts to erode it as it moves through the Senate.”’
Readers of this blog may recall that several senators from the “rust-belt” expressed their concerns that reductions will harm their constituents economically if China and India and other larger, developing nations didn’t make similar changes in their policies. To that end, the Senate bill requires the EPA Administrator “to issue a report each year regarding whether China and India have adopted greenhouse gas emissions standards at least as strict as those standards required under this Act.”’
Still, if either China or India does not adopt similar measures all the bill requires is that the EPA Administrator “shall notify” the Congress and media of his determination. At least, that is what the draft bill states according to the Washington Post.
Regardless, the bill has a long way to go as opinions from the Senate Finance Committee and Senate Agriculture Committee are still to be heard, and many centrist senators would like to see changes as well. Readers will recall that the new chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Blanche Lincoln (AR), has serious concerns over the impact the bill may have on rural and farm communities across the country. Additionally, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus has expressed interest in the section of the bill dealing with pollution allowances given to various industries, as well as the cap and trade section overall.
Given this, the imperative word at this point may be draft bill.
To read the Washington Post article click here.
To see the copy of the bill the Washington Post obtained click here.
Posted: 09/29/09
