Dec

7

U.S. Senate to vote on greenhouse gas emissions bill in 2008

Posted by Michael Sciannamea

December 7, 2007 |

carbonemissions.jpgNext year the U.S. Senate will be voting on a bill designed to establish new greenhouse gas emission limits that will be adjusted every year after 2012. It is described as a “cap-and-trade program” that will allow utilities and industries to receive allowances if they stay under the gap, or have the ability to sell or trade them.

Supporters believe the measure will increase research and investment in alternative and cleaner fuel technologies, but detractors say this will lead companies to send jobs overseas where emissions standards in many countries are not nearly as stringent as this proposed bill would be.

The measure was passed in a Senate committee this week by a vote of 11-8–10 Democrats and one Republican (John Warner of Virginia) voted for it, while James Inhofe (R-Okla) and George Voinovich (R-Ohio) were two of the more notable opponents.

However, the bill has received support from California’s Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who believes that measures such as this will prompt greater business investment in his state, which has passed a number of emission control mandates.

With more attention being paid to “be green,” especially from networks like NBC who sponsored an entire “Green Week” earlier this fall, the environment could actually be a major presidential campaign issue in 2008. Time will tell…


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