Senators Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham are working to create climate legislation.
As details begin to trickle out about a new version of comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation, the contents of the bill are starting to become more and more clear.
Yesterday, the trio of Senators, John Kerry, Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman met with several representatives of the affected industries to continue their process of building support.
According to several sources in the meeting room, the bill calls for greenhouse gas curbs across multiple economic sectors, with a 2020 target of reducing emissions by 17 percent below 2005 levels and an 80 percent limit at midcentury. Power plant emissions would be regulated in 2012, with other major industrial sources being phased in starting in 2016.
Along the lines, the bill would also pre-empt the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases, something it has been planning to do after the endangerment finding last year. There are also provisions that would make this cap a national one, giving true certainty to the market.
Overall, the bill will include eight titles: Refining, America’s Farmers, Consumer Refunds, Clean Energy Innovation, Coal, Natural Gas, Nuclear and Energy Independence. And it will set up new nationwide standards for energy efficiency and renewable energy, as well as ideas on carbon market regulation crafted by Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine).
.
It is still expected that some sort of draft summary will be available to other senators next week, even though Sen. Kerry would not confirm that.
According to the National Wildlife Federation, the support picked up in the states as well:
In South Carolina, Sen. Graham’s efforts earned support from two key constituencies. As Grist reports, the Christian Coalition and a veterans group are backing efforts to pass clean energy & climate legislation.
Support for clean energy and climate legislation is diverse and strong. Now, as we move closer to having a Senate bill, more details will become known and the true support in the Senate will be tested.
