Prospects for climate change measure in Senate bill dealt blow

Prospects for climate change measure in Senate bill dealt blow

Washington (Platts)--21Jun2005


US Sen Pete Domenici (Republican-New Mexico), chairman of the Senate Energy
and Natural Resources Committee, struck a serious blow to advocates of adding
climate-change legislation to the energy bill last night when he refused to
back an amendment that would curb carbon emissions. The amendment, sponsored
by Sen Jeff Bingaman (Democrat-New Mexico), seeks to reduce the intensity of
carbon emissions by 2.4% a year starting in 2010. 

Bingaman's amendment, which seeks to reduce greenhouse gas intensity, which is
a measure of emissions per unit of Gross Domestic Product, was first proposed
by the bipartisan National Commission on Energy Policy. "It has become clear
to me that we need to do something to address climate change," Domenici said
late Monday. He added, however, "As we began developing details of how NCEP
would be implemented, particularly how credits would be allocated, it became
clear that we do not have something ready to be added to the energy bill."

A Bingaman spokesman said that Bingaman has not yet decided whether to move
forward to offer the amendment. Two other climate-change amendments are
expected to be offered during debate Tuesday. One, to be offered by Senators
John McCain (Republican-Arizona) and Joe Lieberman (Democrat-Connecticut),
would set mandatory emissions cuts. The other, to be offered by Senator Chuck
Hagel, (Republican-Nebraska), would set voluntary guidelines and encourage
development of climate-change technologies.

This story was originally published in Platts Electricity Alert
http://www.electricityalert.platts.com

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