Via EE News (sub rqd), there’s a new version of the Lieberman-Warner cap-and-trade bill circulating:
An aide to Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), a lead co-author of the bill, said one of the biggest changes involves an “upstream” cap placed on the heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions that come from natural gas processors. With the new bill’s natural gas section, more than 80 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions that come from the U.S. economy will be covered under the legislation. Previously, the bill dealt with about 75 percent of the U.S. economy.
Another change in the legislation speeds up by five years the end date for the free emission credits given out to power plants, manufacturers and other industrial sources. Free credits will now be phased out at the start of 2031, rather than the start of 2036.
Hill Heat has a good rundown on what’s changed, and for the true poli-geeks out there, a line-by-line comparison (PDF). Looks like some incremental improvements, not earth-shattering but worthwhile.
