Brown's Election Expected to Weaken Prospects for Cap-and-Trade

The election of Scott Brown to replace the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., in the Senate meant it will face greater difficulty with efforts to approve a cap-and-trade program, Environment and Energy Daily reported. During his campaign, Brown raised concerns about the reliability of climate change data and stated his opposition to cap-and-trade "because of the higher costs that families and businesses would incur."

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., responded to Brown's election by saying that there was "overwhelming public support" for action on climate and energy, and Democrats would continue to work with Republicans and business leaders on the issue. Former Republican aides said Brown's election will lead to more caution on the climate issue by moderate Democrats.

Frank Maisano, a spokesman for several energy groups, predicted that Democrats will turn their interest from climate legislation to an energy bill. Maisano said Brown's election "really does start to create the impetus on a measure that's collaborative, comprehensive and yet has some support from members on the other side of the aisle."

- Related story also appeared in the Washington Post.