global warming

The Republican boycott persisted, but the Democratic side of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee sent its landmark climate bill to the full Senate this morning, by a vote of 11-1. All Republicans were absent, as was Democratic Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.). Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) was the only Democrat to vote against passage, [...]

Two weeks ago, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced its support for sweeping climate legislation. The announcement surprised everyone — including the Chamber itself — and was quickly revealed to be a hoax.
Well, today we’re seeing a repeat performance — only it appears genuine. The Chamber has posted a letter on its Website that it [...]

The Iowa Independent reports that earlier this week, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a letter to Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.), the co-sponsors of a sweeping climate bill that Boxer hopes to mark up in committee next week. In the letter, Grassley trots out a lot of the usual GOP talking points [...]

Finding leverage when you’re in the minority always requires some creativity, but Republicans might have trouble convincing people they’re acting in good faith with this latest effort. The Washington Post reports on a strategy being promoted by Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which amounts to, [...]

Global warming skeptics hope “SuperFreakonomics” will continue to shift attitudes toward their cause.

Fantastic news for conservatives and libertarians who’ve been pushing this message for years and getting called “kooks” for their trouble. A new Pew poll has only 57 percent of Americans saying there’s “solid evidence that the earth is warming,” down from 71 percent last year.
Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), probably the best-known climate change skeptic in [...]

“This is not a tea party hangover,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the Susan B. Anthony list. “It is every piece of the conservative base–the Club for Growth, social conservatives, right to work, pro-lifers, everyone–coming together.”

Environmentalists woke up to a welcome surprise this morning, as The New York Times and other outlets reported that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — arguably the most powerful opponent of cap-and-trade legislation — had pulled a 180 and decided to support a climate bill. Climate blogger Adam Siegel proclaimed it “good news for America” [...]

It’s hard to dispute the game-changing nature of the joint New York Times op-ed by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) in favor of climate legislation this past weekend, which brought the chances of a truly bipartisan bill from near zero to, well, somewhere much higher. Not only would Graham’s support mean another [...]

So says Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), head of the Environment and Public Works Committee, who announced this afternoon that the panel will hold hearings on Boxer’s climate change bill over the course of three days later this month.
The announcement is good news for environmentalists, who watched House lawmakers pass a comprehensive (if watered down) climate [...]