Barack Obama's climate change bill is weakened, but still intact

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/14/us-climate-change-bill

Barack Obama's climate change bill is weakened, but still intact

The ambitious agenda introduced to Congress six weeks ago has been compromised by hold-outs and it now seems clear that the US will come nowhere close to European targets

Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 14 May 2009 11.52 BST

Barack Obama's plans to move America towards a cleaner energy economy have survived – but not unscathed.

Democratic leaders in Congress said late yesterday they were confident of getting enough support from about a dozen Democratic hold-outs – conservatives, and members from oil and coal producing states – to move forward on a climate change bill.

But the ambitious global warming and energy agenda introduced to Congress six weeks ago, has been weakened in a number of key areas by the compromises with the Democratic hold-outs.

Further details of the draft are expected today. But it now seems clear that America will come nowhere close to European targets for cutting carbon emissions – a shortfall that could provoke a backlash in the international community looking to Obama to provide leadership on climate change. Significant US commitment to greenhouse gas cuts is seen as essential to sealing a global deal to fight global warming at a UN summit in Copenhagen in December.

…

[villager]

1. The death-thrall of corporate America continues..

n/t

[NickB79]

2. As it originally was, it was barely enough to blunt the worst of climate change

This neutered bill is just another nail in the coffin for humanity.

[hatrack]

4. But that doesn't mean that we can't keep on debating it for, oh, another 10 years or so . . .

While water circles around our knees on its way north, we'll occupy ourselves by bitching at the cocktail waitress about how slow and sloppy the service has gotten.

And the prices for these watered-down drinks - oy!

But hey - how 'bout those (plural name of professional sports team mascot)!

:eyes:

[Massacure]

3. A 17% reduction is still a good thing.

It sets the United States in a direction, and a 20% versus a 17% is really irrelevant. This issue is going to get revisited before 2020.

[wuvuj]

5. Sustainability??

http://www.wakeupamerika.com/PDFs/On-American-Sustainability.pdf