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Sen. McCain pledges push for 'long overdue' emissions bill
BY DARREN SAMUELSOHN, E&E NEWS PM, 11/16/06
Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain said yesterday he "absolutely" would push for a Senate floor vote on global warming legislation during the next session of Congress.
The potential presidential contender also predicted President Bush could be compelled to sign a new law that caps heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions before he leaves the White House in January 2009.
"I think the president is coming around," McCain said. "He made a statement recently where he said that climate change is a significant issue. To tell you the truth, I'm worried more about people in the administration than the president himself."
Speaking at an event hosted by Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, McCain said he would reintroduce legislation in January with Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) that seeks to cap greenhouse gas emissions across the U.S. economy. The measure would include a market-based system to help businesses lower their emissions, which McCain said could help win support of conservatives typically opposed to environmental regulations.
The bill would also include language aimed at spurring construction and expansion of nuclear power plants. "I believe nuclear power is a vital component to any short-term addressing of this issue," McCain said. Noting that France gets 80 percent of its electricity from nuclear power, he said, "We ought to be able to do that as well."
McCain and Lieberman have twice used the Senate rules to bypass the traditional committee system and force floor votes on their legislation. Their bill in 2003 got 43 votes, and it ended up with 38 votes in the summer of 2005 after four Democrats, including Sen. Barbara Boxer (Calif.), dropped their support because the bill included nuclear incentives.
McCain said new climate laws in California and actions taken by other states lead him to believe climate legislation could be ripe for action in the 110th Congress.
"I think we've reached a tipping point in this debate," McCain said. "It's long overdue. I say that because I saw what happened in the state of California with Governor Schwarzenegger, and what they have done recently. I see coalitions of states all over America joining together to try to address this issue. I see the American public swinging significantly in our direction."
Taking a swipe at the Bush administration, McCain also alledged it had broken the law by blocking the release of scientific reports on global warming. "You know by law, NOAA is required to issue certain reports by a certain period of time," McCain said. "They're simply not complying with the law. It's incredible. When you get to that degree of obfuscation, then you get a little despressed."
Handicapping a bill's chances
Reaction to last week's Democratic sweep of the House and Senate continues to drive interest in the prospects for climate legislation. Several lawmakers and others off the Hill said Bush's attention to the issue will be key.
"If we can get the administration engaged and have them talk about what they need in a bill, then I think we can really start getting some momentum," said Rep. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) in an interview. Udall and Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.) earlier this year unveiled a plan designed to curb greenhouse gas emissions without disrupting the economy.
Udall said today he would reintroduce the measure next year. "We'll definitely make some changes," he said. "The basic structure of the bill is going to be very, very similar."
The incoming chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), also addressed the prospects for global warming legislation yesterday with reporters.
"It is important for Democrats to advance forward on this issue with the recognition that President Bush would veto any bill that ever got to him," Waxman said. "But even if we can't get a bill enacted into law, we have just got to start rallying support for effective legislation in this area."
Former EPA Administrator Bill Reilly, who served under President George H.W. Bush, said he did not think it was impossible to move legislation given the White House's current position.
"Frankly, I'm less certain of the House," Reilly said in an interview. "I think the House is going to have to take a little longer to learn these issues and work out committee jurisdiction and things of that sort."
Presidential politics also are lining up to be a factor in the debate. "If McCain is running, and he continues to give this issue the salience he has, it will be hard for others not to engage and address this," Reilly said. "That's why what he said today is so important."
Inhofe weighs in
One of the chief opponents of climate legislation and the science behind man-made global warming offered a starkly different perspective on the chances for greenhouse gas limits in the next Congress.
"There is an awakening," Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the outgoing chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, told reporters earlier today. "People are realizing that people are saying things that are just flat not true."
Inhofe said he would lead the fight against any legislation. "It takes 41 votes [to block a bill on the Senate floor], that pretty much tells you what I want to do," he said.
Senior reporter Ben Geman contributed to this report.
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