Landmark global warming legislation debate and vote this week.
From the Environmental Defense Action Fund:
The Senate is scheduled to debate and vote on landmark global warming legislation during the first week of June. (Don't forget the bogus Voinovich (R-OH) bill in the action center)
Will the Senate seize this historic opportunity and begin to solve the global warming crisis?
These ten Senators reflect the debate that's playing out right now.
Some are swing votes. Others are leaders whose management skills will be put to the test.
Their work with Senate colleagues over the next month could make the
difference in our efforts to pass meaningful global warming legislation
this year.
Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) – Has introduced
legislation in the past that would limit global warming pollution from
power plants; as a member of the Senate Republican leadership the
question will be - does he help the Republican caucus move to a more
responsible position?
Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) – A moderate Democrat with
good environmental ratings from the League of Conservation Voters;
represents state with one of the largest per-capita manufacturing
industries in the country; he will look to balance economic and
manufacturing interests in the bill.
Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) – Chair of the Senate
Energy and Natural Resources Committee; has his own competing global
warming legislation with Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA); is looked to by
many moderate Democrats, particularly those with coal mining interests,
as a leader on issue.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) – Senior Senator from
South Carolina, a state vulnerable to hurricanes and coastal flooding;
is one of Senator John McCain's strongest allies in the Senate;
supports nuclear power and will try to boost support for nuclear energy
in the bill.
Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) – Freshman Senator
from a state that is a traditional political bellwether for the
country; has said that global warming is a serious threat and has
promoted investments in alternative energy; her senior Senator, Kit
Bond, is one of the Senate leading opponents against action to reduce
global warming emissions; will look for ways to best balance her
state's rural and low-income interests in the bill.
Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) – As Senate Majority
Leader, he has scheduled floor time in early June to debate the
Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act; his leadership will be critical
in bridging the differences between members.
Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) – First-term Senator
from a state vulnerable to droughts and wildfires that could be made
far worse by global warming; Colorado has abundant solar and wind
energy resources, but also large coal and other fossil fuel reserves;
Salazar has praised Colorado Governor Bill Ritter's Climate Action
Plan, which adopts aggressive greenhouse reduction goals; will be
looking at various technology incentives and opportunities for
agriculture in the bill to make sure that they work for Colorado.
Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) – Second-term Senator
from a state renowned for its natural beauty and diverse geography;
Oregon is part of the Western Climate Initiative to establish a
regional approach to reducing global warming pollution; he continues to
question the science behind global warming. Will he decide to represent
the citizens of his state and join the call for real action?
Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) – Fifth-term moderate
Republican Senator from a political swing state with manufacturing and
coal interests; has his own global warming legislation with Senator
Jeff Bingaman (D-NM); if Senator Bingaman and Senator Specter will both
work with constructively with Senators Lieberman and Warner on key
areas of interest, it will send a strong signal to other undecided
votes.
Senator John Sununu (R-NH) – First-term Senator
from a state with big outdoor recreation and skiing industries that
could be vulnerable to global warming; in 2005, New Hampshire joined
the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative of nine Northeast and
Mid-Atlantic states to limit global warming pollution; while Senator
Sununu has supported a bill that would limit emissions from
powerplants, he voted no on a comprehensive cap-and-trade bill in 2003;
despite strong support for addressing climate change in the state, he
has yet to endorse the Climate Security Act.