CLIMATE CHANGE LEGISLATION RE-INTRODUCED IN SENATE
News Date October 27, 2009
Last week, Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and John Kerry (D-MA) introduced an updated version of the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (S. 1733), which will likely be the base text for climate change legislation in the US Senate. The bill, which carries many similarities to the House-passed American Clean Energy and Security Act (HR. 2454), will be the subject of several hearings this week in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, a panel chaired by Senator Boxer.
The timetable for action on the legislation is still unclear, as Congress continues to work on fiscal year 2010 appropriations bills, major healthcare reform, and financial regulatory legislation. Nevertheless, Chairwoman Boxer plans to conduct a full markup of the bill in the near future. Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-OK) has threatened to utilize a procedural maneuver to push back the date of a markup in order to ensure a full analysis has been conducted of the legislation. The bill may also be addressed by several other Senate Committees with jurisdiction over certain sections, including Agriculture, Commerce, Finance, and Foreign Affairs. (Contact: David Hickey)