Ian Talley has a story in the Wall Street Journal online where he reports that “Key Senate Democrats” (which is code for democrats from the rust-belt states, farm states, and swing states) gave an indication that the climate change bill will remain stalled in committees for the rest of the year, meaning the earliest a floor vote could happen would not be until well after the Obama administration has returned from the climate change summit between nations that will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark in early December, 2009.The administration had hoped to have a bill signed by the President at best before going to Copenhagen, or at least hoped they would have a bill in the Senate and the House that the president could point to as the direction the US is heading. It is clear now that this likely won’t happen, which not only means the US will have less leverage during the negotiation process, but it also means the administration may elect to send an envoy rather than the President himself going. It also means that the administration will not have a clear idea of what kind of treaty, if one is reached, the Senate would approve.
While the bill has made it out of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, two other committees, Finance and Agriculture, have jurisdiction over the bill as well, and the moderate democrats on those committees may have concerns about the legislation that came out of the EPW committee.
For one, new Agriculture Committee Chairman Blanche Lincoln (AR), who also sits on the Finance Committee, has publicly stated that she has concerns over what the bill may mean to agriculture and rural parts of America. Chairman Lincoln would prefer the Senate move forward with an alternative energy bill as a way to combat climate change.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (MT) told Talley, ‘“It’s common understanding that climate-change legislation will not be brought up on the Senate floor and pass the senate this year [.]”’ While Baucus does plan to have hearings in his committee this Fall, he is not sure he can get a bill out of his committee before the year ends. Baucus also sits on the EPW Committee, and he was the lone democrat to vote against passing the bill out of committee. Baucus reportedly has concerns over the emission-reduction targets and provisions to protect energy-intensive industries and encourage the development of clean coal technologies. Debbie Stabenow (MI) said “committees were no longer under any timetables to produce legislation.”
“Ms. Stabenow said the Agriculture Committee—which has jurisdiction over climateOne can hardly blame Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid from taking the bill off the Senate schedule. After all, health care is taking a long time, there are several appropriations bills that need to be completed to keep the government running, and there are financial reform bills that may be taken up as well.
provisions fundamental to containing costs and cutting emissions in the farming
and forestry sectors--might not even debate or vote on any provisions for the
bill . . . Ms. Stabenow said the Agriculture Committee—which has jurisdiction
over climate provisions fundamental to containing costs and cutting emissions in
the farming and forestry sectors--might not even debate or vote on any
provisions for the bill.”
Of course, like health care, the hardest hurdle facing climate change when it is taken up will be meeting the 60-vote threshold required in the Senate to cut-off debate and bring the measure to the floor for a vote on passage.
To read the Talley article click here.
Posted: 11/11/09
