Climate change legislation is dead in the U.S. Senate.
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is expected to introduce a small energy bill later today that will include no cap-and-trade initiatives for carbon emissions and not even a moderate renewable portfolio standard.
According to several reports, the bill will include provisions to raise the liability cap for BP's gulf oil spill and also the homestar initiative to fund home energy effeciency retrofits. But Republicans have indicated they will work to block even this bill--continuing a strategy of obstructionism that has been in place since the Obama administration took office.
In the absence of a federal response to climate change, states and regions will continue to drive the nation's energy policies, according to a New York Times report.
The patchwork of regulations and initiatives will remain a challenge for companies attempting to do business nationwide. And the disparity between state approaches is likely to grow, as progressive states push even harder and conservative strongholds lag behind.
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