"Climate consensus collapses in Senate; Kerry’s bill on hold after GOP ally bolts" by Matt Viser and Beth Daley, Globe Staff | April 25, 2010
WASHINGTON — In one of the proudest moments of his long legislative career, Senator John F. Kerry was poised to unveil a long-awaited climate change bill tomorrow that would put a price on carbon emissions and provide billions of dollars in incentives to industry to drastically cut greenhouse gases.
That is his proudest moment?
Kerry had brought business on board, and even forged something rare in Washington, a bipartisan compromise with a key Republican leader.
Then his effort ran headlong into the Senate’s partisan snarl, and last night the release of the bill was postponed indefinitely. Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who had allied himself with Kerry on the issue, abruptly abandoned the effort last night, saying he was irate that the Senate’s Democratic leadership might proceed with a controversial immigration bill first.
Related: Advancing Obama's Agenda
Illegal Amnesty Next On Obama's Agenda
Knew it was coming.
“Moving forward on immigration — in this hurried, panicked manner — is nothing more than a cynical political ploy,’’ Graham said....
At this point I realize this Sunday morning lead has been totally rewritten.
Almost enough to make one cynical about the newspaper.
Without Graham’s support, the bill, which would have been a challenge to pass in any case, will face a much steeper uphill battle. Kerry, in a statement, cast Graham’s withdrawal as deeply regrettable but a temporary setback. He said he was determined to press forward....
The sudden reversal came after Kerry had already begun talking up the details of the legislation with interest groups and reporters.
Oh, HOW EMBARRASSING for him, ha-ha!!!
Calling it a “game-changer’’ that seeks to forge a partnership with businesses instead of punishing them for polluting, Kerry told the Globe the bill would create a system that puts a price on carbon emissions and directs most of the proceeds to the public in the form of rebates.
Related: Earth Day: One Final Inhalation
Also see: April Fools Day
It would also provide clean energy incentives worth $2 billion a year to the coal industry, and give tax credits to the nuclear industry....
No wonder corporations are for it!
Related: Banks Will Save the World From Global Warming
Which Corporations Are Backing the Carbon Tax Bill?
Also see: Around New England: You Can't Clean Up Vermont
Yeah, screw your health, America.
As written, the Senate bill would, however, also halt a groundbreaking regional effort to curb emissions from power plants in Massachusetts and other states. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the nation’s first mandatory market-based attempt to lower heat-trapping gases, would be replaced by a single federal program to ensure that businesses only have to deal with one consistent set of rules, Kerry said in an interview.
“You cannot ask the business world to support this effort if they are going to be subject to any individual state or group of states setting their own standard at any point in time,’’ the Massachusetts Democrat said, hailing the path-breaking regional efforts but stressing that corporate support is key to the bill’s passage.
Yes, NOTHING GETS DONE down there without the BLESSINGS of CORPORATE!
Although New England officials and environmentalists said they understood the need for a single regulatory structure, many had deep concerns they would have no recourse if the federal law, should it pass the Senate and be reconciled with a competing House bill, turns out to be too weak. Most other federal environmental rules allow states to adopt more stringent standards.
“If we do away with good robust action on climate such as [the regional initiative] and replace that with weak federal action, we’ve done ourselves a huge disservice,’’ said Nick d’Arbeloff, president of the New England Clean Energy Council.
But Kerry said the bill was strong and would lower emissions dramatically while creating, in what he said was a conservative estimate, 2 million jobs.
Please stop lying to us.
"Green Stimulus Money Costs More Jobs Than It Creates, Study Shows
Every “green job” created with government money in Spain over the last eight years came at the cost of 2.2 regular jobs, and only one in 10 of the newly created green jobs became a permanent job, says a new study released this month. The study draws parallels with the green jobs programs of the Obama administration. President Obama, in fact, has used Spain’s green initiative as a blueprint for how the United States should use federal funds to stimulate the economy. Obama's economic stimulus package,which Congress passed in February, allocates billions of dollars to the green jobs industry."
I have often noticed the disparity between the TENS of THOUSANDS of JOBS we are SHEDDING with the GREEN PROMISE of HUNDREDS!!!
Related: Green Jobs Going Global
And they are not even staying here?
Crafting the massive bill with Senators Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut independent, and Graham, he said it is the result of six months of behind-the-scenes negotiations....
In our transparent democracy?
Most critically, the bill would put a price on carbon.
Related: "Motor fuel may be subject to a carbon tax"
It would place a cap on the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions permitted, and auction off portions of that total, called allowances, to polluting industries that they can trade among themselves. The cap is designed to go down over time, and as it does, the allowances become more expensive, encouraging industries to switch to cleaner technologies. The majority of the proceeds would be given back to the public through rebates to offset any increase in energy costs.
That is SUCH a LIE, and IF TRUE, why not just LEAVE the MONEY WITH YOU to BEGIN WITH, readers?
Of cour$e, we KNOW WHY!
Kerry called it “reduce and refund,’’ saying it would reduce emissions and provide refunds to utility customers. His bill would target only large sources of carbon pollution — about 7,500 factories and power plants that emit more than 25,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually. That represents less than 2 percent of all American businesses, but more than three-quarters of all emissions, according to draft language of the Senate bill obtained by the Globe.
Such significant concessions, including giving energy-intensive polluting businesses until 2016 to comply, are part of an effort to win over industries, Democrats in coal and oil states, and Republicans. “It is a very generous bill in terms of the business community, and we will have very significant business support for it,’’ Kerry said in an interview. He briefed Massachusetts and other business leaders on the bill late last week.
This thing is STINKING MORE with every paragraph!
Kerry had planned to unveil the measure tomorrow with chief executives from companies such as
How you feeling, environmentalists?
As he renews his bid for bipartisan support, one of the senators Kerry seeks to recruit is Scott Brown, his Republican counterpart from the Bay State. “I’m very hopeful that he’ll see the virtues of the bill,’’ Kerry said, after meeting Thursday with Brown. As a state senator, Brown supported the regional program to cap emissions, but during his US Senate campaign he said the program had not worked as expected. Asked whether he had any thoughts on Kerry’s bill, Brown said, “No. Not yet.’’
You want to win reelection, Brown? Better filibuster this.
But
How many times are they going to use that word, readers?
I think they are over the quota.
in Massachusetts and elsewhere, there are concerns about how the law would undercut state efforts.... Groups of state environmental chiefs, attorneys general, and US senators wrote Kerry in recent weeks, expressing concern that the Senate bill could undo regional gains. They are concerned not only about their ability to enact stricter rules but also about loss of money from programs they set up.
Sigh. That is what they care about, huh?
The House bill would temporarily freeze local cap and trade programs through 2017, possibly giving states a chance to resume stricter regulations. The Senate bill would make that freeze permanent, but states would be paid for lost revenue from such programs, according to the bill’s draft. The bill would also prohibit the US Environmental Protection Agency from developing its own greenhouse gas rules, which the agency has threatened to do, much to the consternation of Republicans and oil-producing states.
And this is what took the cut:
Kerry vowed, once the bill is released, to use the possibility of EPA regulations as a bargaining chip in his effort to win over some senators. Companies might be better off compromising with lawmakers, rather than having federal regulations imposed upon them.
Isn't that extortion?
"If people can't see this opportunity, I welcome the EPA. 'Have at it, boys,' " Kerry said. "Because I tell you what's going to happen. Those companies are going to come screaming up here, say, 'Oh please help us, please help us.' And they ain't gonna find me at the door."
What an arrogant a**hole.
I can see why it took the cut.
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Now keep your eyes open, readers. It happens fast.
"Lieberman encouraged that energy bill will be on track" by Associated Press | April 26, 2010
WASHINGTON — A day after bipartisan support for an energy and climate change bill appeared to crumble, a Senate sponsor said yesterday he was optimistic the coalition would regroup and lawmakers would consider the measure this year.
Senator Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, said that he was encouraged after talking to Senate majority leader Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, and Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, who were at odds over Reid’s suggestion that an immigration overhaul might be considered before the energy bill.
Related: Quick Stop at the Amnesty Office
Lieberman said Reid pledged to bring the energy bill to the full Senate as soon as possible this year. In a separate conversation, according to Lieberman, Graham reiterated his support for the energy bill once it’s no longer tied to immigration legislation.
Think they are trying to make a point?
“Now I’m encouraged,’’ Lieberman said. Asked when the energy bill might advance, he said, “Sometime soon, as soon as we can get Lindsey on board.’’
Graham has threatened to withhold support for the energy bill if Senate Democrats opt to deal first with immigration....
Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, who worked with Graham and Lieberman on the energy bill, has postponed releasing the legislation today in light of the dispute over what Reid may do with the immigration bill.
Meanwhile, environmental activists rallied yesterday on the National Mall to press Congress to pass a carbon-emissions bill.
Isn't that something, readers?
It turned into something completely different.
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