Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., abruptly announced his withdrawal from the climate change bill partnership with Sens. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., and Joseph I. Lieberman, ID-Conn., because of the move by Senate Democrats to give priority to the Obama administration's immigration legislation, the New York Times reported. Kerry said Democrats "will continue to work" on the bill, "but regrettably external issues have arisen that force us to postpone" the planned release of the bill on Monday.
A letter from Graham to various senators said the shift of emphasis toward immigration "destroyed my confidence that there will be a serious commitment and focus to move energy legislation this year." Graham was quoted by Politico as saying in his letter: "I will not allow our hard work to be rolled out in a manner that has no chance of success."
Kerry said he was now looking for another Republican partner, and he was hopeful that Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., will "see the virtues of the bill," the Boston Globe reported. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., reiterated his commitment to passing the bill in "this session of Congress," and he criticized Graham for using immigration as "an excuse for not acting" on climate.
Lieberman said Graham had told him he could still back the bill if the immigration dispute was settled and if Graham was reassured about "the primacy of energy and climate legislation in Sen. Reid's scheduling."
Lieberman said "we need him to come back" to work on the bill. Before Graham released his statement, PSEG Chairman, President and CEO Ralph Izzo commented that "in the absence of information, people create all kinds of monsters."
Meanwhile, White House climate czar Carol Browner stated: "We're determined to see it happen this year, and we encourage the senators to continue their important work on behalf of the country and not walk away from the progress that's already been made."
- Related stories also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.
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