The White House special climate envoy has assured U.N. delegates from more than 40 countries the U.S. is ready to move forward on a comprehensive international climate change treaty without Congressional approval. Delegates met last week in an informal negotiating session preliminary to the upcoming United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be held in Mexico later this year. CBS News reports that Todd Stern, Obama's special envoy for climate change, admitted cap-and-trade legislation is unlikely to pass the U.S. Senate this year but said it is "not crucial" to progress in Mexico.

He is not the only U.S. official to concede legislative defeat. "The House-passed cap-and-trade bill is dead," said U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R–S.C.) in a press release. Graham has withdrawn his support for legislation he and Senators John Kerry (D–Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I–Conn.) crafted in an attempt to build on H.R. 2454 that passed the house last summer. He claims their efforts have created "a renaissance in nuclear power which leads to energy security and fosters job creation." However, he believes now is not the time to push forward on climate change legislation, asserting serious debate is compromised in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil leak. Cap-and-trade supporters counted on expansion of offshore exploration and drilling to gain Republican support in a trade-off for reduced carbon emissions.

Senators Kerry and Lieberman will press on without Graham and have announced their intent to introduce new cap-and-trade legislation on Wednesday, May 12. In a joint statement they expressed confidence their new bill will pass this year because, "as a nation, we can no longer wait to solve this problem which threatens our economy, our security and our environment."

Myron Ebell of the Competitive Enterprise Institute disagrees. Responding to a New York Times editorial, he wrote, "The chance that the Senate will pass a comprehensive energy-rationing (a.k.a. climate) bill this year remains close to zero. BP's big oil spill in the Gulf changes very little." Ebell pointed to constituent backlash from House passage of cap-and-trade last summer, which prompted Majority Leader Harry Reid (D–Nev.) to move the Senate version to the back burner where it has remained since. Ebell says Americans know cap-and-trade amounts to an indirect tax because energy rationing will force prices up. "What's become increasingly apparent is that this legislation no longer has much to do with reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It's a monstrous collection of payoffs to big business special interests, ranging from Goldman Sachs to Duke Energy to General Electric."

Regardless of the fate of senate efforts, President Obama has warned his administration will regulate emissions in a "command-and-control" system if Congress fails to pass legislation. Stern's comments at last week's U.N. meeting underscore the seriousness of that threat and the reality that climate change legislation is far from dead. "If we don't get it this year, we'll keep pressing to get it next year," Stern assured reporters.

Photo: U.S. top climate envoy Todd Stern speaks during a press conference at the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen on Dec. 9, 2009: AP Images

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (10)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

rprew said:

Not quite a dictatorship... yet President Obama has warned his administration will regulate emissions in a "command-and-control" system if Congress fails to pass legislation. I'm just waiting for Mr. Soetoro to issue an executive order dissolving Congress and calling for new "elections".

May 11, 2010

JJ Suprise said:

And his brainless supporters would support him issuing such an order rprew! And I thought Clinton and Bush were bad! JJ Suprise Sandy,Utah

May 11, 2010 | url

AntiBailoutPatriot said:

... Could Obama be any more openly dictatorial if he tried? Why are officials still obeying him? Anybody that threatens to "command and control" even without token unconstitutional action from Congress has officially ceased to be a lawful President and has entered the realm of unconstitutional power usurper. That's the kind of stuff Saddam used to do ..... and he did not even have WMDs at his disposal! If dear leader goes ahead with this, Congress should order him to stop, and if he refuses, he should be charged with contempt. Enough is enough already!! Plus, everybody already knows this CO2 global warming scam is nothing but a scam!!!

May 12, 2010

..., Lowly rated comment [Show]

Mary said:

... Aaron, don't cry when you can't afford to upgrade your home to legislative standards, can't afford the fines for not upgrading, and can't move because you can't sell your house because it is not already upgraded to legislative standards. Do not cry when you can't go anywhere of great distance after electric cars are shoved down our throats. Don't cry when you or anyone in your family is considered excess and hazardous to the health of mother earth. Don't cry when the global elites and enforcers decide you can't live where you do anymore and forcibly move you into a ghetto. And this is only the tip of the iceberg. Population and mobility control, and ultimate holocaust are the desired ends of these corporate/banking/military despots. Cap and trade is but one of the means. Sorry antibailout, but Congress has too much to lose in fighting this because most of them are already bought. Congress is not fighting for any reasonable nuclear or drill programs because it has already been pre ordained that this is the path to be taken on a worldwide scale. This is bigger than them: the worldwide 100+ year old progressivism cancer that has slowly been growing in the body and heart of this country and the world is at stage 4, going to stage 5 immenently.

May 12, 2010

Twinspeedr said:

Global warming is normal, so is cooling Aaron, you first statement is missing a few choice words. Here is the corrected version: "Global warming is not JUST a scam. Cap and Trade presents a real risk to our security, and our access to stable supplies of energy." By the way you might want to find some facts before you pass judgement on Global warming. No, "An Inconvenient Truth" doesn't count. Al Gore will become a billionaire if Cap and Trade passes. http://jonova.s3.amazonaws.com/sh1/the_skeptics_handbook_2-3_lq.pdf and this: http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=531731

May 12, 2010

D G said:

article is wishful thinking This article is wishful thinking. With business leaders like T. Boone Pickens saying “Senators Kerry and Lieberman are to be commended for a plan that recognizes the economic and national security threat of our ever-increasing dependence on foreign oil, particularly OPEC oil. Corporate supporters include oil companies such as Shell, Conoco Phillips and BP, utilities like Duke Energy Corp., PSEG, Entergy, 150 other major utilities and other businesses including Target, eBay, Levi Strauss, Nike, Starbucks, and many others.

May 14, 2010

D G said:

reply to antibailoutpat That's the kind of stuff Saddam used to do ..... and he did not even have WMDs at his disposal! What, you believe those lies about Saddam not having WMD's! Just because they didn't find them, doesn't mean they won't someday.

May 14, 2010

hiding in an attack in warsaw said:

... "Der Fuhrer Obama has warned his administration will regulate emissions in a "command-and-control" system if Congress fails to pass legislation." Heil Obama!! Heil Obama. Welcome to the Democratic National Socialist Republik of Amerika. Ja, alles gut. Mobilize the Obama Jungen to elimiate opposition.

May 15, 2010

Labelle Waste Systems said:

Re: Cap-and-Trade, Dead or Alive I am supporting the fight in reducing green house gas emission. Great opposition regarding this issue.

May 21, 2010 | url