Senate Democrats on Tuesday delayed floor debate and vote on the oil-spill/energy bill introduced last week.
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said they will take up the bill in September after returning from recess.
As a report on Politico notes, the bill quickly changed from a "must-pass bill with political momentum" to yet another partisan battleground.
Some cleantech advocates are hopeful the delay will allow additional time to find a compromise on a Renewable Energy Standard. But practical-minded observers suggest the recess will simply allow the two parties too deepen their entrenchments and devise strategies to grab headlines in the lead up to November's elections.
Meanwhile, frustration is on the rise internationally, as climate change negotiations resume in Germany, and the world loses faith that the U.S. will ever be able to pass legislation to deal with greenhouse gas emissions.
There are just a handful of working days left before the November Climate Summit in Cancun, Mexico, and expectations are low for any significant advancement towards a legally binding treaty.
Read New York Times coverage at the link below.
