Lindsay Graham Comes Out In Aggressive Support Of Cap And Trade
Oct 11, 2009 37 Comments ›› Pat Dollard
Republican South Carolinian Senator Lindsay Graham publicly announced his support for climate legislation on Sunday, in an editorial co-authored with Massachusetts Democratic Sen. John Kerry.
“Our partnership represents a fresh attempt to find consensus that adheres to our core principles and leads to both a climate change solution and energy independence,” wrote the two Senators in the New York Times on Sunday. “It begins now, not months from now — with a road to 60 votes in the Senate.”
Graham’s support is a major win for climate supporters, who are seeking Republican support for climate legislation. A climate bill passed the House in last June, but prospects for the legislation have dimmed amid the contentious health care debate.
The Democratic Caucus is spilt over the climate bill, with Rust Belt senators fearing that the legislation could hurt industry and consumers in their region. The divide among Democrats means supporters will most likely need Republican votes to overcome a Senate filibuster.
The two Senators are proposing a bill that includes “aggressive” reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, additional oil and gas exploration, and funding for nuclear power and advanced coal technologies known as carbon capture and sequestration. They’d also like legislation to include a border tax to protect domestic manufacturing from foreign competition and a price restrictions on the cost of carbon allowances created by a new cap and trade system.
“The message to those who have stalled for years is clear: killing a Senate bill is not success,” they wrote. “Industry needs the certainty that comes with Congressional action.”
Kerry, the lead sponsor of legislation that would cap greenhouse gas emissions, has been working closing with Graham, Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and other Republicans senators to draft provisions that would increase funding for nuclear power and expand domestic oil and gas development. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) has called for the United States to build 100 new nuclear plants by 2030.
Still, the vast majority of Senate Republicans oppose the legislation, with their most vehement criticisms reserved for the cap-and-trade system included in the House bill. Democrats consider cap and trade to be the centerpiece of the legislation because it would put a firm limit on greenhouse gas emissions.
The bill released by Kerry and California Democrat Sen. Barbara Boxer earlier this month includes a section that would incentivize worker training at nuclear plants and new research into expanding the licensing periods for reactors.
Such proposals could be opposed by more liberal Democrats and environmentalist concerns about the ecological impacts of the fuels and storage of nuclear waste. Last week, Graham told reporters that he has encouraged the administration to create working groups for Senators to address nuclear power issues.
In 2005, Lieberman tried to attract support for a climate bill he sponsored with McCain by including provisions that would have helped the nuclear power industry. The bill failed 38-60, after California Sen. Barbara Boxer and several other Senate Democrats voted against it because they felt the legislation included too many giveaways to the nuclear power industry.
