Coming Around To Climate Change Legislation

Senate Democrats are finally getting around to looking at getting climate change legislation through the Senate ahead of December's Copenhagen summit for addressing the problem globally. The Senate effort is led by John Kerry and Barbara Boxer.

Supporters of Senate climate change legislation introduced Wednesday rallied outside the Capitol to promote their bill as a lifeline for the planet and a way to protect both economic and national security.

The event effectively marked the start of what is expected to be a bruising battle in the Senate this fall over climate legislation leading into the global climate summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December.

The legislation introduced by Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) calls for a 20 percent emissions cut by 2020, tougher than the 17 percent cut the House bill that narrowly passed in late June called for, and a greater than 80 percent cut by 2050.

The measure was immediately criticized by Republicans as an energy tax that threatens jobs, and some Democrats also had harsh words, signaling the tough road ahead.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) called its requirements “a disappointing step in the wrong direction.”

“Requiring 20 percent emission reductions by 2020 is unrealistic and harmful — it is simply not enough time to deploy the carbon-capture-and-storage and energy-efficiency technologies we need,” Rockefeller said.

But President Barack Obama said the release of the draft bill moves the country “one step closer to putting America in control of our energy future and making America more energy-independent.”

Note Jay Rockefeller's response there: he's from the coal capital of the country, West Virginia. Of course he's going to oppose any climate change legislation that affects coal mining, and while I don't expect him to be Max Baucus on this mess, I do expect him to be as much against this bill as he is for the public option in health care legislation.

The bill will be a tough, tough sell. The names will change but the problems will be the same: Jay Rockefeller may not be owned by the health care companies, but it just means he's simply owned by King Coal. Expect another brutal fight ahead here over the next couple of months.