Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., said there was a minimal chance for cap-and-trade climate change legislation to move in the Senate in the rest of 2010, E&E News PM reported. Although Lieberman said "there's certainly long-term life" for the proposal, "for the short term, it's standing in place." He noted the possibility of having it "come back in some form during the lame-duck session," but acknowledged that the legislation would still require a 60-vote majority to clear a filibuster.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., predicted the Republican Party would "make significant gains" in the November election, and he indicated that its members would resist any attempt to pass a climate bill before the new Congress. Looking ahead to that Congress, Lieberman predicted that industry "may well be so upset by EPA regulation [of GHG emissions] that they'll come to Congress regardless of the party allocation in Congress and really plead for a legislative response that is more balanced and longer term so they have predictability in what they do."
About Me
- Smart Climate Policy News Update
The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) is proud to sponsor the Smart Climate Policy blog and Web site - www.SmartClimatePolicy.org.
Organized in 1933, EEI is the association of U.S. shareholder-owned electric companies.
Our members serve 95 percent of the ultimate customers in the shareholder-owned segment of the industry, and represent approximately 70 percent of the U.S. electric power industry. We also have more than 65 International electric companies as Affiliate members, and more than 170 industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate members.