Kerry Says Industry Likely to Back His Climate, Energy Bill

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., speaking at the Good Jobs Green Jobs conference in Washington, said he expected electric utilities, chemical companies, and Big Oil to offer support for the climate and energy legislation he has been working on with Sens. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Greenwire reported.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Environment & Public Works Committee, said Kerry and Lieberman planned to release their climate and energy legislation as soon as next week, whether or not Graham would return to the fold, E&E News PM reported. Kerry said the three senators continued to talk behind the scenes: "He's standing by the work product, and he's standing by the bill, no matter what."

The bill was expected to include a 17-percent cut in GHG emissions below 2005 levels, with staggered start times for different sectors of the economy, and to support increased nuclear power generation and expanded offshore oil and gas drilling, E&E News PM reported. Kerry said that within a few years almost all revenues from emission allowances would go back to consumers.

Democratic leaders have pushed Kerry and Lieberman to advance the legislation and to work on finding more Republicans to support it. Chris Miller, top climate aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., was quoted as saying: "The only real chance we have to get it done this year is to make sure it is bipartisan. And to date ... we've seen little to any public interest by very many Republicans."

The only Senate Republicans supporting the bill to date were Graham and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, with Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, Scott Brown, R-Mass., George LeMieux, R-Fla., Judd Gregg, R-N.H., and George Voinovich, R-Ohio, seen as possible supporters, E&E News PM reported. Miller said Reid would not be likely to try to move the legislation forward unless he had 60 votes.