After a huge week here in Washington, when our Organize to be Heard winners made their way throughout the city, rallying, protesting and most importantly meeting with Congressional staff, we are ready to move forward fighting for comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation.
So, apparently, are the three key Senate figures: Sen. John Kerry, Sen. Joe Lieberman and Sen. Lindsey Graham.
The New York Times reported today that talks around climate legislation will intensify this week, specifically where the carbon cap is concerned.
“It’s time,” said a Senate aide close to the process. “Game on.”
According to the story, staffers are saying that the trio has agreed on a list of ideas they will start pushing around the Senate to gauge feedback. Sen. Kerry has at least eight climate-related meetings scheduled this week, while the other two have several Senators from both sides of the aisle on tap.
The conversations will certainly include nuclear energy, carbon capture and storage technology and agriculture offsets. The three plan to leave no stone unturned, but know that there will be a cap on carbon and investment in clean energy.
To kick off the effort, Sen. Graham had some of his strongest comments on the issue to date, speaking in a frank manner in yesterday’s Times.
“I have been to enough college campuses to know if you are 30 or younger this climate issue is not a debate. It’s a value. These young people grew up with recycling and a sensitivity to the environment — and the world will be better off for it. They are not brainwashed. … From a Republican point of view, we should buy into it and embrace it and not belittle them. You can have a genuine debate about the science of climate change, but when you say that those who believe it are buying a hoax and are wacky people you are putting at risk your party’s future with younger people.”
But it was perhaps his statement later that will carry the issue through to the needed 60 votes.
“If we try to clean up the air and become energy independent, we will create more jobs than anything I can do as a senator.”
There are still a few dozen meetings to have before this becomes a full bill, ready to be scored and sent to the floor. However, as we are saying out here, that means it is our time to shine.
Our work steps to another level of importance right now. We have to convince members that this is a good issue, an important issue and an urgent issue. It seems as if the train is leaving the station in the Senate, finally. Now we have to make sure all of the tracks are down.
[...] Our planet is in peril and we need our Senators to pass a strong climate bill this year. We are at a critical moment, not only for our planet, but for our country. A new bipartisan proposal is taking shape, and may be introduced in the Senate as soon as this week. [...]
[...] Our planet is in peril and we need our Senators to pass a strong climate bill this year. We are at a critical moment, not only for our planet, but for our country. A new bipartisan proposal is taking shape, and may be introduced in the Senate as soon as this week. [...]