Kerry, Graham, Lieberman Working On Weaker Climate Compromise

While Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) works to pass the Kerry-Boxer climate-change bill out of committee, her cosponsor is working on a compromise plan that he hopes can safely get 60 votes.

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) announced Wednesday afternoon that he and Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) are consulting with the White House not merely to get the executive branch's input on the Kerry-Boxer bill, but to help build a parallel bill that they will pass onto Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

This "dual-track" approach has the "full consent and support" of both Boxer and Reid, Kerry told reporters at a press conference. The compromise bill, the three senators said, could help Reid reconcile the six versions of Kerry-Boxer that ultimately clear the Senate committees with jurisdiction over the climate legislation.

"We will be working very, very closely with the administration and be fully respectful of all of the efforts made by each individual committee with jurisdiction in this area," said Kerry, who chairs one of them, the Foreign Relations Committee.

Another helpful factor, Kerry said, would be secrecy. Though Lieberman acknowledged after the press conference that they were discussing preliminary details with a "working group," the three senators declined to name any of the colleagues with whom they seek to build consensus. "We are not going to negotiate this publicly, day by day, drip by drip," Kerry said at the press conference, seeming to draw a contrast with the architects of health care reform.

So why announce they're working on a compromise bill at all? Lieberman said the senators were moved not by the ongoing Republican boycott of Boxer's committee, but by the nominal support of an as-yet-nonexistent compromise proposal by the Chamber of Commerce, which the Chamber announced Tuesday night.

"We think that's essential," Kerry said at Wednesday's press conference.

Graham, too, sought to frame the need for reform in terms of what he called a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" for U.S. business interests, as well as energy independence and environmental protection.

"The green economy is coming," Graham said. "We can either follow or lead. And those countries that follow will pay a price."

Selling Republicans and business interests on a climate bill may require a lot of compromise from liberals, Graham acknowledged. "If you don't believe carbon pollution is a problem, then you wouldn't want to work with me, because I do," he said. "Remember 'Drill here, drill now?' Where did that go?"

The three senators met with Energy Secretary Steven Chu Wednesday morning, Lieberman said, though he declined to detail the conversation. He, Kerry and Graham are slated to meet Wednesday afternoon with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and the White House's point person on climate change, Carol Browner.

Comments

[Philclock]

Drill here, drill now, the only practical way to energy independence and affordable energy for the next generation (along with nuclear power, clean coal and natural gas) is doomed as long as the delusional Democrats run the show.

[saveal]

Carbon credits are issued by the government, thru taxes, how much carbon you can emit is determined by the gov. if you go over the company is fined, or you can purchase credits from another co. that did not use all theirs. This allows the big polluters to keep on polluting. The consumer will pay the taxes, if they can afford the product. 2% of each transaction goes to third world countries. The gov. and Al "Mr. Greenjeans" will make out big time.

[jwredd]

That's the little picture thinking. The big picture thinking is that these are incentives (and penalties) that push industry into a sustainable future. The industries won't push themselves toward that end unless it had immediate monetary benefits.

As to consumers not being able to afford a product because an additional "tax" will be put on it, I know you have more faith in the market than that. No matter what happens businesses will always find a way to make and sell products to consumers. And if they can't then they fail like countless businesses have throughout history.

And if you don't want Al Gore to make any money on any of this then you better push to socialize the carbon credit agencies.

[Philclock]

Penalties and rip-offs, yes by the government monopoly; incentives, no.

[agroman]

graham is sooo right....green economy is coming, whichever country takes the lead now will never regret for the next 100 yrs....america don't go to sleep on this!

[PAsteelers]

The ONLY reason the repugs, lindsey and joe, want to even work

on the bill is to weaken and water it down.

The democrats have got to stop trying to work with these morons.

When will we learn our lessons?

[Philclock]

Fidel will show you the way.

[sc300nc]

This legislation will produce no measureable improvements in air quality nor will it do anything to "change the climate". It's just the Federal Government wanting to control an even bigger portion of your lives.

[saveal]

And our money, the taxes are intolerable, and will make Mr. Greenjeans even richer.

[jwredd]

Who is Mr. Greenjeans and how exactly does he profit from climate legislation?

[care4mypeeps]

Why!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It seems like the closer we look into how bills are constructed and watered down we see the most important constituents are the Corporations who apply pressure and have paid hit men and women in the House and mostly Senate that will do their bidding to continually kill and water down bills that cut into their profits.

It is crystal clear that the American People are not the focus of the legislation but Big Business.
I wonder how these paid prostitutes feel at night when no one else is there but the quietness of their conscience.

Who will dare go up against the Corporations and kick them out of the negotiation process and govern with honesty and integrity?­??????????

[errol44]

Wait a minute... I just heard Al Gore saying, on the Rachel Maddow Show, how Lieberman was one of the forceful leaders on climate-change legislation... What the heck is going on in Connecticut? Can't they do anything about Lieberman? Can't the Senate? This is bizarre... a 67-year old Senator three years into a momentous temper-tantrum over having lost the Democratic primary in 2006, and nobody has the guts to stand up to him.

[flex8]

cool

[sc300nc]

This is just a goverment ruse to get more of our tax dollars to feed their ever-increasing appetite.

[jwredd]

Do you have a clubhouse where you are a few other paranoid people meet and scare each other with conspiracy theories?

[dmsdzinr]

Hey, what do Senator's Lieberman & Graham care if the world goes to hell due to climate changes?! THEY won't be here to see it happen if it does. So it is NOT their problem.

[old lady]

It is time to toss the charade of bi-partisanship down the proverbial hopper. The party of No has gone over the top by being no-shows for Boxer's comittee hearings. Take their seats away and fill them with reps who give a damn about something other than their own next election - who might actually want to work for the commong good - in otherwords reps who are not flummoxed by actually working for their living,. And let's stop going for 60 - let the fools filibuster. Let them get up in front of the TV cameras and dither on unedited. We have the majority - we don't have to cater to the minority.

[joecoolconservative]

The cap and tax bill will never see the light of day. Harry and Kerry are just going through the motions so as to not upset their base but have no intention of bringing this silliness to a vote. If they do, whoever votes for it should hurry home and starting packing because very soon they will be unemployed.

[jwredd]

snore....

[Manhattanite]

Oh! Are the coal, gas, and oil, industries paying him off too, in adition to Big Phama and the Insurance industry?

[Kassandra]

Do these MEN think their MONEY is going to protect them and their families when the seas rise thru Manhattan? I think Washington is a swamp too....in more way than one.

[truthartbeauty]

I dont think these two rocket scientists are going to ever fix any problem at all.