Archive - Jul 7, 2009

Despite the recently acquired Democratic super majority (now that Al Franken has been sworn in as the new senator from Minnesota), getting 60 votes for a strong climate bill will be extremely difficult in the Senate. Climate legislation is now making its way through six Senate Committees, using the House ACES bill as a starting point for action. Lawmakers will have to work to gain support from moderates without losing progressive votes. Grassroots pressure will be essential, both to try and strengthen and to prevent serious additional weakening throughout the Senate process. Stay tuned for a forthcoming policy update on 1Sky’s Senate strategy: in the meantime, this is a summary of the landscape with which we are contending.

The Senate Environment & Public Works Committee is holding a hearing today on energy and climate legislation (you can watch the hearing on C-SPAN 2). Obama Administration officials, including EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, have already testified. Here are some excerpts: