Update: October 14
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) announced the Senate climate change bill is written and ready to be debated before the Environment and Public Works committee. The bill now moves to the EPA for analysis, which should be finished by the end of October. On October 27, Boxer kicks off three days of hearings on the bill.
Senator John McCain says he won't support a climate bill that doesn't have strong provisions for nuclear energy, since he doesn't believe the US can achieve the necessary emissions reductions with it. Boxer included nuclear provisions in the bill, as well as the potential for offshore drilling to appease other Republicans.
Update: October 6
Obama's top climate and energy official Carol Browner says there's virtually no chance Congress will have a climate bill ready for him to sign before Copenhagen negotiations begin in early December. She said the Senate may be able to complete its hearings on the bill, which along with the EPA's recent moves to regulate greenhouses gases, would at least show the world the US is moving forward.
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The crowd cheered at an event before the G20 meeting when Teresa Heinz read a message from husband, Senator John Kerry (D-MA) announcing that he and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) would introduce a climate bill in the Senate.
Kerry said, "The Bill will have strong, broad coalition backing. It will be a "thoughtful, innovative, far-reaching solution" and "will take a more comprehensive approach to dwindling oil reserves than any prior legislation."
Sounded great, but where's the goods? Thus far, the "Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act of 2009" looks much like that approved by the House, except for slightly more aggressive emission cut targets by 2020 - 20%, up from 17% from 2005 levels. Neither target comes close to that demanded by science - 40% below by 1990 levels by 2020. Read the details and environmental NGO reactions.
Like the House bill, the Senate bill would create a national cap-and-trade program, but omits details on how emissions permits would be distributed - an issue of great contention among stakeholders.
The bill includes the creation of emissions standards for commercial airlines. EPA would be required to work with the Federal Aviation Administration to write regulations for new aircraft and engines by the end of 2012.
And it could clear the way for New York City and other metropolitan areas to require conversion of taxi fleets to hybrid and electric vehicles. The Green Taxis Act of 2009 - included in the bill - would allow city governments to set fuel-economy and emissions standards for privately owned taxicabs. Federal courts have twice ruled that New York City's green taxi initiatives were illegal, because only the federal government can set vehicle standards.
According to a New York Times report, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg worked with Senator, Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) to craft the law and push it into the Senate climate package. Parallel legislation reportedly will be introduced in the House by Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY). Boston, San Francisco, Seattle and other cities have also run into legal roadblocks in building green taxi fleets.
Boxer is expected to use Energy Information Administration (EIA) data showing the U.S. is on track to lower emissions 8.5% below 2005 levels by year end. Much of the decrease is a result of the recession and by some utilities switching to natural gas - still, it shows that reaching a 20% reduction isn't all that difficult. Obama badly needs a climate change bill in his hands when he heads to Copenhagen.
The plan is for a vote in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee by the end of October. Legislative hearings are expected the week of October 19th followed by mark-up the week of October 26th. Five other committees having jurisdiction over aspects of the bill are: Finance, Foreign Relations, Agriculture, Commerce Science and Transportation, and Energy and Natural Resources.
Once each committee has completed their work, Senate leadership will assemble legislation designed to get the 60 votes necessary to pass a bill on the Senate floor. There could be a floor vote by December, but climate legislation won't be taken up prior to completion of the health care bill.
In the meantime, the EPA is moving ahead to regulate greenhouse emissions through the Clean Air Act.
