GOP Senators Come Through And Block Climate Change Legislation

Score one for sanity. For now.

Senate Republicans on Friday blocked a global warming bill that would have required major reductions in greenhouse gases, pushing debate over the world's biggest environmental concern to next year for a new Congress and president.

Democratic leaders fell a dozen votes short of getting the 60 needed to end a Republican filibuster on the measure and bring the bill up for a vote, prompting Majority Leader Harry Reid to pull the legislation from consideration.

The Senate debate focused on bitter disagreement over the expected economic costs of putting a price on carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas that comes from burning fossil fuels. Opponents said it would lead to higher energy costs.

…The bill would have capped carbon dioxide coming from power plants, refineries and factories, with a target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 71 percent by mid-century.

"It's a huge tax increase," argued Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, a prominent coal-producing state. He maintained that the proposed system of allowing widespread trading of carbon emissions allowances would produce "the largest restructuring of the American economy since the New Deal."

Of course not all Republican Senators were opposed to a massive tax hike and regulation of the economy.

The 48-36 vote fell short of a majority, but Democrats produced letters from six senators—including both presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain—saying they would have voted for the measure had they been there.

Now that the popcorn fest that was the Democratic Party primary is over the cold reality is starting to set in that the 2008 election is going to suck no matter how you slice it.

posted by DrewM. at 11:33 AM

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