Wavering Dem Climate Bill Support Could Mean 2010 Signing

June 12, 2009

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Just a week ago climate legislation was said to be on the fast-track, with it set to come to a House vote within a month. But now even some Democrats appear to be threatening to derail the legislation, with some saying passage won’t come until next year.

Such a delay may also mean that the successor to the Kyoto Agreement may not be negotiated until next year, reports Reuters. The measure is scheduled to be negotiated in December in Copenhagen, Denmark.

In the U.S., farm states are gaining support for their contention that any climate legislation should have special exclusions for the agriculture industry. Farmers seek to protect the preferred status of corn-based ethanol as an alternative fuel and they prefer to have the Department of Agriculture, not the Environmental Protection Agency, oversee their greenhouse gas emissions.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on June 11 said there was much room for improvement in the climate bill.

Additionally, the nuclear industry is likely to want to stake out room for growth in the forthcoming climate bill, Reuters reports.

Through the first quarter of 2009, opponents of U.S. climate legislation have spent at least $76 million on public relations and advertising against any such measure.

Critics of cap-and-trade programs say carbon offset programs do more harm than good and could result in significantly higher costs for some industries.

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