US climate change bill withers in Senate

06 June 2008 18:48  [Source: ICIS news]

WASHINGTON (ICIS news)--US Senate Republicans rained on the climate change bill (S-3036) Friday, continuing a filibuster of the bill that prevented any debate on it from going forward.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada), could not get cloture, failing on a 48-36 vote, leaving open debate over the substitute amendment offered by Barbara Boxer (D-California).

Boxer was hopeful that the Senate would take up the legislation again next year, indicating that the Senate would not likely revisit the bill before the presidential election. Both John McCain (R-Arizona), and Barack Obama (D-Illinois), each their party's respective candidates for presidential elections in November, were not present for the vote but indicated they would have voted in favor of cloture.

"What is extraordinary is that both Presidential candidates weighed in, in favor of addressing this issue now," Boxer said.

She added: "Therefore, as Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, I will continue to work with my colleagues to address their concerns as we anxiously await the inauguration of a President who will work with us to protect our planet and our people from the ravages of global warming."

Republicans charged that the Democrats were not serious about passing the Climate Security Act but rather were attempting a vote for political gain.

"This bill was doomed from the start," declared James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee.

Inhofe accused Democrats of not being serious about engaging in a substantive discussion of the 500-page climate change bill.

"This was one of the largest bills ever considered by this Congress and probably the largest non-appropriations bill the Senate has ever considered," he said. "This bill deserved a full and honest debate, with amendments offered and voted upon."

He compared the climate change bill to the 1990 Clean Air Act, which faced five weeks of debate over amendments, demanding the current bill receive at least as long a debate.

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By: Mickey McCarter
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