Graham to Fight Global Warning With New Sidekick Kerry
Tweedle Dumb is at it again. I just don’t understand why he wants me to hate him so much, be he sure is good at it. He has now decided that he wants to jump on board the Kerry express which is trying to revitalize a bill that would cap greenhouse emissions. A similar bill has already passed the House and was shot down in its first attempt on the Senate floor with many “Rustbelt” Democrats voting against it.
Graham is a big “get” for the Libs pushing this bill – if for nothing else his name on the bill gives it the appearance of bipartisanship. It also gives cover for other phony conservatives to jump on board to this bill and not seem like a major defector. And perhaps even more importantly, it also means his support will likely bring on board his partner in crime – Tweedle Dee.
“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,” the two senators wrote in The New York Times. “It begins now, not months from now — with a road to 60 votes in the Senate.” – Lindsay Graham
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, Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and other Republicans 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 U.S. 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 passed last summer. 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 Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) 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 Boxer and several other Senate Democrats voted against it because they felt the legislation included too many giveaways to the nuclear power industry.
I love how you resisted calling it Cap and Trade even though that is what you want to call it. Acting like a better version of a Republican doesnt mean that you are. Graham should be applauded for working across party lines
I will call it Crap and Trade if you want. A duck is a duck and Graham is an idiot for joining forces with these nutbags
Cap and Trade = Cap and Tax = more from those with less