The third and final day of the hearings on the Kerry-Boxer climate bill wrapped up in the Senate Environment and Public Works committee today. We’ve been collecting the best reactions an d analysis on our aggregation page. Here’s a quick rundown of where things stand.
The wrap: Really, not much exciting news came out of the hearing. This was the big show enviros had been waiting for, but it’s largely just that: a show. Senators largely stuck to their scripts. For that matter, Dave’s summary of hearing day one more or less applied to the next two days.
The timing: The big question is when things happen next. Committee chair Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) told reporters she plans to begin the process of voting in committee next Tuesday. Republicans don’t like that idea; they want a lengthy EPA study first. If Boxer presses forward, Republicans’ only option for stopping her is refusing to show up—the majority needs two of the committees seven Republicans in attendance in order to establish a quorum for the markup. Riveting, isn’t it?
The Max Baucus factor: He’s still a problem. The Democrat from the coal-dependent Montana continues to demand more funding for so-called clean coal, Greenwire reports.
The grass never looked greener.Photo courtesy of Action Factor DCThe sideshow: The fun theatrics today took place over in the House, where Ed Markey (D-Mass.) led a fun little get-together with lobbyists working for the coal industry who sent fraudulent letters to Congress this summer, pretending to represent Hispanic, African-American, and senior groups.
Steve Miller, CEO of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, told the House panel that his group never opposed the House clean energy, a claim rather obviously contradicted by the group’s own press release.
Members of the Action Factory DC showed up in Astroturf-cover suits to join the fun—one even shook the hand of coal lobbyist Jack Bonner. Have a look:
