Senate Committee Passes Carbon Cap And Trade Plan Without Republican Support
by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer
The Senate Democrats have gone rogue, passing a Carbon Cap and Trade plan against the demands of the impending GOP boycott. The bill, which creates a plan to reduce carbon emission, won committee approval with the support of 11 of the 12 Democrats present and in spite of the absence of all seven Republicans. Sometime it really does pay to play the majority card.
GOP members of the Environment and Public Works Committee have been boycotting the committee meetings since Tuesday in hopes of delaying a final decision until the EPA could review that plan.
Under a cap and trade program, the federal government would issue a limited number of permits to companies; each permit allowing emission of one metric ton of carbon waste. Companies can use, trade or sell the permits before they are surrendered to the EPA once carbon has been emitted. Kind of like carbon baseball cards.
Republicans accuse the current legislation of being rushed and lacking adequate study on economic impact, while majority leader, Barbara Boxer, criticizes the minority of dragging their feet in making any kind of move toward emission regulation. Republican committee minority leader, James Inhofe, calls the approval of the bill a “nuclear option” that breaks “the rules and long-standing precedent” of the environment committee. Looks like there’s some trouble in paradise for the EPW Committee.
A similar bill, currently in committee in the house calls for a cut of 17 percent of emissions from 2005 standards, while the Senate bills calls for a 20 percent reduction.
As the Cap and Trade bill heads to the Senate floor, Washington continues to struggle to come up with a responsible solution to the impact the United States has on global warming. Contact your Senator and let them know that it is there responsibility to take action. Waiting to find a solution could result in irreversible damage to our planet.
Photo by Wikimedia Commons.
- Posted by Causecast
Related causes: Environment
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Contact your Senators at http://tiny.cc/5OGLC and let them know it is their responsibility to look after the best interests of their consituents, which is not passing ecomonically crippling legislation that will do nothing to improve the environment.