Senator Graham calls cap and trade plan dead

[The Northerner]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator Lindsey Graham said on Tuesday a proposed economy-wide cap-and-trade system for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases was dead and would be replaced in a new bill.

Graham, a Republican, did not specify whether cap-and-trade might be used to control emissions in just one sector, such as utility companies, instead of earlier efforts for an economy-wide mechanism.

"The cap-and-trade bills in the House and Senate are dead. The concept of cap-and-trade is going to be replaced," Graham said.

Democratic Senator John Kerry told reporters he hoped a compromise climate control bill could be put together this month, although many meetings still must be held. Graham told reporters it will be "weeks" before a bill is ready.

But Senator Joseph Lieberman, an independent working with Graham and Kerry, said a detailed outline of a bill could come within days.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62142T20100302?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&rpc=22&sp=true

[Dawgs]

1. Well, he was right about the public option.

:shrug:

[NickB79]

2. Screw it, just put a tax on carbon

And be done with it.

[karynnj]

4. Kerry likely would love to do that - but that had even less chance of passing

than cap and trade. The important thing as both Kerry and Gore have said is that there needs to be a cost to producing carbon. That cost will cause businesses and people to make decisions that cause less carbon to be produced. In this and various articles, it is clear that Kerry is trying to make sure that cost exists and is done in a way that makes a significant difference. I trust the other two less.

The real problem is that there are 14 Democratic Senators against any cost put on coal power plants for their current level of pollution. It is hard to see how you get 60 Senators without them. In the case of this bill reconciliation is not possible because there was a vote that precluded it last year. While the economics of their states pushed them to do this - they are the ones that should be blamed when the bill is disappointing. The question is whether they can do anything reasonable. (These are good Democratic Senators - Franken, Feingold, Brown, Harken etc )

[Vinca]

3. It's very sad that after it snows a couple of times there is no hope

of convincing the numbnuts that the planet is in peril.

[karynnj]

5. It's not just the Republicans

and it is understandable. There are 14 coal state Democrats who are against doing much to control the carbon from coal. Their reason is that their economies will be affected. These are DU heros, like Franken, Brown(OH) and Feingold.

[SlingBlade]

6. Graham can suck my skinny white ass until his head explodes.

Dick Head !

[Teaser]

7. it's likely to be replaced with a cap and dividend strategy

which would be more politically popular.

[SandWalker1984]

8. Good! Write a bill that makes more sense than....

....making Al Gore and his Goldman Sachs buddies even richer. Al set up several companies to cash in on cap & trade. If a bill doesn't make sense, it makes somebody money.....