ENVIRONMENT
Senate Takes On Cap-And-Trade
Today, the Senate begins an historic floor debate on legislation that calls for mandatory reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, Sen. Barbara Boxer's (D-CA) version of the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (S. 3036). This is the first time the Senate will engage in full debate on legislation to cap global warming pollution and create a multi-billion-dollar market of tradable pollution permits. Lieberman-Warner would limit emissions from coal-fired power plants, oil refiners, and other major carbon polluters, reducing total U.S. emissions by 18 to 25 percent below current levels by 2020, and 62 to 66 percent lower by 2050. Such legislation would mark an important first step in the transition away from a fossil-fuel economy. Although the bill is "by no means perfect," as Daniel J. Weiss, Center for American Progress Senior Fellow and Director of Climate Strategy, argues, "the Climate Security Act is the most comprehensive and potentially effective global warming bill ever before the U.S. Senate." Not surprisingly, this fundamental restructuring is encountering stiff opposition from industry polluters. As former British prime minister Tony Blair wrote, this week's debate represents "a hugely important signal of intent on behalf of U.S. legislators."

KEY ISSUES: Three core principles by which to judge climate legislation are whether it is scientifically sound, whether it makes polluters pay, and whether it ensures social equity. Lieberman-Warner takes major steps in the right direction with its mandatory reductions framework, assistance for low-income households, and many provisions to spur new jobs, renewable technology, and energy efficiency. Yet it falls short in a key aspect: auctioning revenues. A Center for American Progress report released today explains the clear benefits of auctioning 100 percent of the greenhouse gas emission permits from day one, as a bill introduced by Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) last week would require. In contrast, Lieberman-Warner directs hundreds of billions of dollars of "transitional assistance" to polluters and allows 30 percent of the allowance market to be "offsets" instead of direct reductions. A new call to action signed by 1,700 top climate scientists and economists calls for significantly deeper greenhouse emissions reductions than the bill would achieve. Last year, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) determined that industrialized nations like the United States, whose prosperity is built on a century of unlimited greenhouse pollution, need to reduce emissions by at least 36 percent from current levels by 2020 and at least 85 percent by 2050 to have an even shot at avoiding climate catastrophe.

POLLUTER ALLEGIANCE: Even after recent lobbyist purges, Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) campaign is still run by corporate lobbyists who represent foreign and domestic oil interests -- such as top adviser Charlie Black. McCain's corporate tax cut would save just the 20 largest energy and utility companies around $3 billion a year, in addition to the $4 billion tax break for America's five largest oil companies. His voting record shows consistent opposition to renewable technologies and support for big oil. McCain has stated his opposition to the Climate Security Act -- authored by two of his closest allies, Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and John Warner (R-VA) -- because it doesn't offer enough aid to the nuclear industry. CAP Senior Fellow Joseph Romm explains in a new Center for American Progress Action Fund report, "Since nuclear power is a mature electricity generation technology with a large market share and is the beneficiary of some $100 billion in direct and indirect subsidies since 1948, it neither requires nor deserves significant subsidies in any future climate law." In fact, "Many other technologies can deliver more low-carbon power at far less cost."

THE MANTLE OF LEADERSHIP: All three remaining candidates for president -- Sens. McCain, Hillary Clinton (D-NY), and Barack Obama (D-IL) -- believe that climate change is an issue of primal urgency. But their role in the upcoming Senate debate is unclear. Despite arguing on the stump that he "will not shirk the mantle of leadership that the United States bears" on global warming, McCain "will miss the entire proceedings because he will be campaigning all week." In 2003 and 2005, climate legislation sponsored by McCain was voted down by the Senate under terms that limited debate. "[I]t seems if he can't be the star, he won't bother with so much as a walk-on part," Gristmill's Kate Sheppard wrote. While McCain has criticized Lieberman-Warner for insufficient nuclear subsidies, Clinton and Obama unveiled plans months ago that call for stronger emissions reductions and a broad, society-wide approach to global warming that goes far beyond capping emissions to reform the transportation and electricity infrastructure, prioritize energy efficiency, transform the housing industry, and create millions of new high-paying jobs. However, neither Democratic candidate has committed to participating in today's debate or votes, as the final primaries in the contested campaign take place tomorrow.

Senate Warms Up for Global-Warming Law features.csmonitor.com — Congress is set to begin work on a bill to curb carbon emissions. While Senate floor unlikely to produce a bill President Bush will sign, it is already realigning prospects for legislating in a new administration. The Senate bill would mandate that U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases be cut to 19 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and up to 71 percent by 2050. The bill also proposes a $800 billion "tax relief fund" over the next four decades to help Americans pay energy bills.

Climate Bill Poses Challenge for Its Supporters
By JOHN M. BRODER 3:53 PM ET Supporters of the legislation are being forced to come out for higher energy costs at a time of record fuel prices.

Senate Boondoggling on Global Warmingby Jed Babbin

About That Global Warming Bill....
By: Ben Lieberman
Five myths about the Lieberman-Warner global warming legislation. More>

Bush Weighs In Against Climate Bill
By: Washington Times
More>

Cap-and-Trade & More


MICHAEL G. FRANC: When it comes to expanding Uncle Sam’s girth, nothing tops the global warming cap-and-trade proposal currently before the Senate. “Carbon-Cap Conundrum” 06/03 6:00 AM

THE EDITORS: If you had $75 billion on hand to solve some of the world’s biggest problems, how would you spend the money? “Coming to a Consensus” 06/03 6:00 AM

LAWRENCE SOLOMON: Far from a harmless insurance policy, Lieberman-Warner would be a global catastrophe. “Selective Precaution” 06/03 6:00 AM

BEN LIEBERMAN: The Lieberman-Warner bill fails any reasonable cost-benefit test. “Hot Air” 06/02 2:00 PM

Sens. Lieberman & Alexander on Carbon Emission Bill - The NewsHour

FRANK O'DONNELL
Climate Kidnappers In case there was any doubt about it, the White House has officially said President Bush would veto the so-called Lieberman-Warner climate bill, which the Senate took up yesterday.

HARRY MOROZ
Beyond Cheney's History of Climatic Evolution Despite an infuriatingly recalcitrant EPA chief and an administration that has suppressed major climate change research for the last four years, global warming is once again at the top of the nations policy agenda.

SEN. BARBARA BOXER
A Critical Week in the Global Warming Debate huffingtonpost.com — It's so critical to start fighting the global warming threat right now. We can't afford to wait another year or two and hope for the best.

NASA Misled on Global Warming hosted.ap.org — A report from NASA's own internal watchdog concluded that the agency's press office "marginalized or mischaracterized" studies on global warming between 2004 and 2006 . NASA's inspector general office called it "inappropriate political interference" by political appointees in the press office. It said that the agency's top management wasn't part of the censorship, nor were career officials. The report found credence in allegations that National Public Radio was denied access to top global warming scientist James Hansen. It also found evidence that NASA headquarters press officials canceled a press conference on a mission monitoring ozone pollution and global warming because it was too close to the 2004 presidential election. Bush Warns Caution on Climate Bill time.com — President Bush weighed in against a Senate bill that would require dramatic cuts in climate-changing greenhouse pollution, cautioning senators "to be very careful about running up enormous costs for future generations of Americans." Bush, during a White House event that focused on keeping taxes low, said the Senate bill "would impose roughly $6 trillion in new costs on the American economy." Bush, who has favored voluntary efforts and technology innovation to address global warming, did not say how the $6 trillion figure he cited was arrived at.

CLIMATE CHANGE -- NASA IG REPORT FINDS 'PATTERN OF DISTORTION AND SUPPRESSION OF CLIMATE SCIENCE': Two years after 14 senators requested an investigation, NASA's inspector general has released a report finding "a pattern of distortion and suppression of climate science by political appointees" at the agency. The report, released yesterday, "criticized what it said was a sustained pattern of activities, largely supervised by senior political appointees, that included muting or withholding news released on global warming and...limiting a scientist's interactions with reporters." Dean Acosta, former deputy assistant administrator for public affairs at NASA, sharply attacked the report, saying, "The inspector general's assertions are patently false," and claiming it uncovered "nothing but flimsy allegations aimed at hard-working public servants." James Hansen, NASA's leading climate scientist, first raised complaints about political interference in 2006, saying that the White House tried to prevent him from discussing global warming with the media. As recently as this past January, Hansen said that the White House "reviews and edits" all testimony by government scientists.

Why the Democrats' Cap-and-Trade is Far Better than McCain's
Robert B. Reich
June 3, 2008 | web only
McCain's plan to combat global warming is really a giveaway to people who already pollute heavily. Clinton and Obama's plans make everyone who wants to pollute pay equally.

What comes after cap & trade?
June 03, 2008
Now that we're flirting with the Cap & Trade scheme proposed in the pending Climate Security Act before Congress, how about resurrecting the selling of indulgences and applying it to speech? More

Senate Action on Climate Bill Doomed hosted.ap.org — A Senate bill to cut greenhouse gases and address global warming is heading toward almost certain defeat after nearly a week of stalemate and partisan bickering. Each side accuses the other of obstruction, trickery and political games. As a result, it will be up to the next Congress and President Bush's successor to deal with this most important environmental issue.

Ten_Democrat_Senators_Doubts_About_Cap_&_Trade_Bill.pdf

Republicans Block Climate Bill iht.com — Senate Republicans blocked a global warming bill that would have required major reductions in greenhouse gases, pushing debate over a major environmental concern to next year for a new U.S. Congress and president. Democratic leaders fell a dozen votes short of getting the 60 needed to end a Republican delaying tactic on the measure and bring the bill up for a vote, prompting Majority Leader Harry Reid to withdraw the legislation from consideration. The Senate debate focused on bitter disagreement over the expected economic costs of putting a price on carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas that comes from burning fossil fuels. Opponents said it would lead to higher energy costs.

The Conservative Climate Change Problem gristmill.grist.org — If instead, the right embraced an efficiency argument and stood strong against wasteful subsidies, then their opposition would improve the bill, from their perspective, and from the perspective of most economists.

GAO Report on Climate Change:

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08605.pdf

This is the person I would like to see Obama pick for VP.

Why the Climate Bill Failed - Eric Pooley, Time
Global Warmism Threatens Economy - Pete du Pont, Wall Street Journal