Congressional leaders in the U.S. House and Senate have said they plan to push ahead in their attempts to pass cap-and-trade-type climate legislation, despite the Bush administration’s renewed call to reduce emissions through voluntary technology partnerships instead. On Wednesday, Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair John Dingell (D-Mich.) released a white paper about a possible cap-and-trade system, suggesting the U.S. should reduce emissions by between 60 percent and 80 percent by 2050. “The United States needs an economy-wide, mandatory greenhouse [gas] reduction program,” the paper said. In the Senate, the Environment and Public Works Committee plans to push climate legislation through the full committee in December, just in time to impress the folks at the United Nations climate meetings in Bali, Indonesia. And speaking of Bali, leading Democrats plan to send their own delegation to the meeting to present their alternatives to the Bush climate plan.
