Senate Climate Bill to Come Out Wednesday

On May 7, Sens. John Kerry (D-MA) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) announced that they intend to release their climate and energy bill on Wednesday and believe they can “secure the necessary votes to pass this legislation this year.” The draft legislation is expected to aim for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and 80 percent below by 2050, with different sectors of the economy falling under an emissions cap at different times. “We can no longer wait to solve this problem which threatens our economy, our security and our environment,” Kerry and Lieberman said. Kerry promised that the upcoming bill will have the backing of several industry groups, including those most impacted by the legislation. "I believe that when we roll out a bill . . . we are going to have a unique coalition," Kerry said.

Kerry and Lieberman plan to move ahead with the climate bill without their third collaborator, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). The three senators had originally intended to release a draft on April 26, but Graham withdrew his support, citing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) decision to address immigration reform this year, though Reid has clarified that he will address climate legislation first. “As I have previously indicated, a serious debate on energy legislation is significantly compromised with the cynical politics of comprehensive immigration reform hanging over the Senate,” Graham said in a statement.

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