Lyndsey Graham, the lone Republican Senator negotiating on the Senate version of climate change legislation has withdrawn his support for the bill, despite his efforts to come up with bipartisan, compromise legislation. Graham is taking this step because Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is insisting on dealing with immigration reform before taking up climate change.In Graham's opinion, the decision by the Majority Leader comes down to politics--trying to put Republican lawmakers on record on immigration reform could, and likely will, affect how the hispanic community votes in the upcoming election.
As CNN is reporting, Graham wrote in a letter he sent to business, religious, and conservation leaders who had been working with the South Carolina Senator on climate change that "'[m]oving forward on immigration--in this hurried, panicked manner--is nothing more than a cynical political ploy."'
Following Graham's announcement, the other two senators who had been working on the '"tri-partisan"' climate change bill, Senators John Kerry (MA) and Joseph Lieberman (CT) decided to delay today's introduction of the climate change legislation. The two are hopeful that Graham will soon return to working with them on the bill. However as the year plays out politically and the time frame for passing what could be a controversial bill, like climate change, gets smaller and election day gets closer, the chance that climate change legislation becomes law this year is less likely.
So, in essence the democratic leaders are stuck between trying to please two strong constituency groups in their party--hispanics and environmentalists.
To read the CNN article click here.
To learn more about current laws dealing with climate change, click here to visit the National Agricultural Law Center's Reading Room on Climate Change.
To learn more about current laws dealing with immigration/labor, click here to visit the National Agricultural Law Center's Reading Room on Labor.
Posted: 04/26/10
