Following comments from Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., indicating that a cap-and-trade system to cut GHG emissions would probably be replaced by some other plan in upcoming climate change legislation, Frank Maisano, spokesman for Bracewell and Giuliani, said the new legislative proposal could include a cap of utility emissions in the short term. Maisano also said that a cap on emissions for industrial sectors could be imposed for a longer term and the plan could include a carbon tax on transportation fuels and more federal support for nuclear generation and for the oil and gas industry, the Christian Science Monitor reported.
EEI spokesman Jim Owen was quoted as saying: "Any approach that looks only at a couple of sectors, even though large sectors, would fall well short of an economy-wide approach. We have been strongly supportive of a well-designed, economy-wide approach. That's still our position." Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., said he was hopeful climate legislation could pass this year, Reuters reported. He was quoted as saying: "We're looking at a new way of coming at this that we think can attract greater support." He added, "I'm saying what we do may be economy-wide. But we're not going to do it in the same way everybody has talked about doing it."
