Tracking where senators stand on climate legislation
In This Series
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Robert Casey (D-Penn.)
Robert CaseySen. Robert Casey sent this letter to a Grist reader in early October in response to questions about his stance on climate legislation. He affirms that climate change is a serious problem and that he intends to work toward legislation to curb greenhouse-gas emissions. He also talks up “clean coal” and touts his efforts […]
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Mark Pryor (D-Ark.)
Mark Pryor Sen. Mark Pryor is a moderate who has voiced concerns in the past about passing climate policy, but has been relatively quiet this year. He is regularly listed among the Democrats most likely to oppose a climate bill. Pryor has expressed interest in increasing his state’s contribution in the biofuels sector, however, which […]
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John McCain (R-Ariz.)
John McCain Sen. John McCain was, of course, one of the earliest congressional supporters of cap-and-trade, cosponsoring the first two pieces of climate legislation to come to the floor of the Senate in 2003 and 2005. During his campaign for president last year, he regularly touted his support for climate action. But McCain did not […]
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Bob Corker (R-Tenn.)
Bob Corker Sen. Bob Corker came out swinging against the climate bill that the House passed in June. “I didn’t think it was possible, but the Waxman-Markey climate bill appears to be even more problematic than the climate bill that tanked in the Senate last spring,” he said, referring to the Lieberman-Warner bill that he […]
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Mike Crapo (R-Idaho)
Mike Crapo Sen. Mike Crapo is probably going to oppose a climate bill this year, but he’s shown signs that he could be convinced to vote yes. Crapo would want a bill to provide substantial support for nuclear power, which he emphasized during an exchange with Energy Secretary Steven Chu at a recent hearing of […]
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Judd Gregg (R-N.H.)
Judd Gregg Sen. Judd Gregg has a record of backing action on climate change, even though his overall environmental record gets low scores from enviros. He voted in support of the McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act in 2003 and 2005. He wasn’t present for the Senate vote on the Lieberman-Warner climate bill last year, but suggested […]
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Olympia Snowe (R-Maine)
Olympia Snowe Sen. Olympia Snowe is considered a likely “yes” vote on climate legislation this year. She is a co-chair of the International Climate Change Taskforce, and has been reliably supportive of climate action. Snowe voted in favor of the McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act in 2003 and 2005, and she cosponsored the 2007 version of […]
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Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.)
Lamar Alexander Sen. Lamar Alexander realizes that we need to do something about climate change and has tried to distance himself from the skeptics in his party. “I am one senator who thinks climate change is a problem, humans are causing it, and we need to deal with it,” he said at a recent hearing […]
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Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.)
Byron Dorgan Sen. Byron Dorgan says he wants to address climate change: “I think there is enough science out there to suggest something is going on.” But he opposes the cap-and-trade approach. “I’m in favor of taking action to reduce CO2 emissions and to protect our environment. But I don’t support the ‘cap-and-trade’ plan now […]
