Green Jersey

Senate backs away from climate change bill

by William Owen

On Friday, Senate democratic leader Harry Reid pulled a comprehensive energy package from consideration after the democrats were unable to defeat a republican filibuster. The reason they were unable to defeat the GOP, honestly, is they just don’t understand the bill.

The 492-page Climate Security Act was debated over a week that saw one of the highest spikes in price, and numerous record highs, of oil, and $4-per-gallon prices nationwide. The focus of the bill was to inject carbon control into the nation’s energy system and provide a unilateral approach to the issue of global warming. The basic idea is this: Create a price structure for carbon, make people and industries want to emit less, and invest in the development of new technologies and alternate sources of energy.

The debate was not over the eventual outcome, but the immediate. The effects of the bill were murkily debated: claims of skyrocketing gas, electricity and heating costs were levied by senators from Kentucky and Oklahoma, home to the high-carbon emitting coal industry, whose power plants account for roughly 65 percent of the country’s annual carbon emissions. Those in favor of the legislation, California, New Jersey, and other East Coast states, say the immediate costs will be slight, while the long-term cost of doing nothing will be far greater.

But the democrats could not articulate their claims, despite reports by economists and scientists undermining the GOP’s industry-backed stance. Despite their acceptance of the largest and most pressing issues, the democrats lack the ability to translate the material in the bill into a message easily communicated to the people, and the GOP rallied its base with predictions of economic doom. With elections looming in November, and one-third of the Senate racing to retain their seats, debate of the bill is on hold.

William Owen is a freelance writer.

More:

After verbal fire, Senate effectively kills climate change bill (New York Times)

Republicans block climate change bill (Associated Press)

Senate rejects measure on global warming fight (Gannett News Service)

Senate GOP and polluters block debate on global warming; Environment New Jersey applauds Sen. Menendez and Lautenberg for fighting to start global warming debate (Environment New Jersey)