US Dem leaders in Congress want climate bill now

25 January 2008 20:38  [Source: ICIS news]

WASHINGTON (ICIS news)--Top Democratic leaders in the US Congress said on Friday they will push hard to pass a cap-and-trade climate-control bill this year to begin reductions of greenhouse-gas emissions as soon as possible.

 

“Global warming is the issue upon which this generation of leaders will be judged by posterity,” said Representative Nancy Pelosi (Democrat-California), Speaker of the House of Representatives.

 

Under cap-and-trade legislation now pending in Congress, federal authorities would place limits or caps on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions that chemical producers, other manufacturers and the transportation industry can produce.

 

The federal government would give or auction emissions permits to industry that could be sold to companies with poor emissions performance.

 

“Only this generation can make the changes needed in time to avert a crisis that our children and grandchildren will otherwise have to face,” Pelosi said.

 

She appeared to discount speculation that the Democratic majority in Congress would wait for what many expect would be a Democratic president in the White House in 2009 in order to get a stronger climate-control bill.

 

“With a Democratic president we can do much more, but we’re not going to wait for that,” Pelosi said.

 

Citing the energy conservation and ethanol-boosting bill passed by Congress late last year, Pelosi said, “Now we will take the next step by creating a cap-and-trade system to help protect our planet.”

 

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Democrat-Nevada) said that “It is long past time for America to lead - not follow - on energy security and global warming”.

 

Appearing with Pelosi at a National Press Club luncheon, Reid said the congressional Democratic majority would work to “invest more to harvest renewable energy sources here at home and fight carbon emissions."

 

“If we show the world that we are giving this [global warming] crisis the attention and investment it deserves, others will do the same,” he said.

 

Earlier this month private sector energy leaders suggested it may be in the interest of the broad US industrial sector to support congressional efforts for a climate-control bill this year.

 

Forcing delay of such legislation to 2009, they argued, could mean a more burdensome emissions measure with the possibility of a Democrat in the White House and an expanded Democratic majority in Congress.

By: Joe Kamalick
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