Climate Change Bill Sets Stage For Debate

Associated Press, January 12, 2007...

WASHINGTON -- Presidential rivals John McCain and Barack Obama are

joining with newly independent Sen. Joe Lieberman on a plan they say

would reduce emissions of global-warming gases by two-thirds over

the next four decades.

Their bill, being announced today, is intended to cut the heat-

trapping emissions by 2 percent a year through mid-century. It is

sure to produce a contentious debate on climate control in the new

Democratic-run Congress and draw strong opposition from the White

House and industry.

Sens. McCain, R-Ariz., Obama, D-Ill., and Lieberman are calling for

mandatory caps on greenhouse emissions for power plants, along with

industry and oil refineries. Their plan would require releases of

heat-trapping gases to return to 2004 levels by 2012 and to 1990

levels by 2020.

As a compromise, the chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources

Committee is preparing a more modest bill that would slow the growth

of greenhouse gases. Under the proposal by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-

N.M., annual emissions would continue to increase until 2030 and

then perhaps decline.

McCain and Lieberman offered a climate bill two years ago, as did

Bingaman. The McCain-Lieberman legislation was defeated in the GOP-

controlled Senate; Bingaman withdrew his after it became clear he

lacked the votes for passage.

President Bush has opposed regulating carbon dioxide, contending it

would cost too much and hurt economic growth. He has turned to a

plan of voluntary emissions reductions through increased energy

conservation and use of non-fossil fuels by industry.

Lieberman insisted the senators' bill "solves the global warming

problem without weakening the nation's economic position or imposing

hardship on its citizens." Their plan would rely heavily on the

development of new technologies and market-based techniques to

diminish the cost of emissions reductions, he said.

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