DC Hill update: Senate recess

The Senate went on recess last Friday, August 7, and we are turning the heat up today back home (see below on the 85 rallies we have organized around the country in swing states).

1. Senate Climate Timeline

As soon as the Senate returns from recess on September 7, we can expect quick turnaround on the release of a Boxer-Kerry-__?__ discussion draft (they're looking for a third Republican cosponsor). In the weeks following the discussion draft, pieces from the Agriculture, Finance, Foreign Relations, and Commerce Committees will be marked up, and all committee chairs have promised to meet the September 28 deadline that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has set. Following the end-of-September deadline for committee action, Sen. Reid will then assemble the committee reports into a manager's amendment ready for consideration floor in the next couple of months.

After the Senate climate bill is marked up in committee(s), we won't see any floor action on it until after health care has been voted on by the Senate. Much uncertainty remains as to when this shift will occur, but it's been made relatively clear that climate and energy are next in line for the Senate and Administration, with the goal but no guarantee of passage before Copenhagen this December.

• 8/8 - 9/7: Senate August Recess (4 weeks);
• 8/10 - 1Sky Beach Parties across the country;
• 9/8 - Boxer-Kerry- __?__ discussion draft to be released (will include many placeholders to be filled in, including likely blanks on how allocations are handled);
• 9/21-9/25-  Tentative EPW markup;
• 9/8 - 9/25 - Other climate committee markups held (Finance, and perhaps others);
• 9/28 - Mark-up deadline for all Senate committees with climate jurisdiction;
• After 9/28 - Majority Leader Reid will then assemble committee reports into one Senate bill, ready for floor consideration.

2. Why August Recess is Important

Over the recess, some Senate staffers will be in district, while the others stay here in D.C. to draft the various pieces of the bill. While D.C. climate advocates have been making their cases and outlining their priorities for the climate legislation for months now, the constituent voice will be the most important one over recess. What is said in town hall meetings and actions outside of district offices over the next month will play a big role in what kind of action senators decide to take on climate and energy this Fall.

Since the House has been on recess for a week now, town hall meetings are already being held across the country. Disruptive individuals have been following Democrats in almost every state, booing and heckling members of Congress over proposed health care reform. Though health care will continue to dominate the conversations, climate and energy may soon creep onto the scene, and could be met with similar hysteria.

Right wing think tanks have been identified as the propagators of the misinformation and disruptive strategies which are being replicated all over the country, prompting the Democratic National Committee to launch this ad in retaliation.

Some videos of the protests:

• Rep. Doggett (D-TX25)
• Sen. Specter (D-PA)
• Sen. Levin (D-MI)

1Sky supporters organized beach parties in 28 states yesterday with many of these events targeting climate swings. The goal: turn up the heat, and keep up the pressure for a strong bill - see a map of actions, check out the photos and look for blogs later this week.

3. Senators Boxer and Kerry Team Up

EPW Chairwoman Boxer (D-CA) and Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) publicly commented this week that they would be co-sponsoring the discussion draft of the Senate climate bill.

On allocations, the pair shed some light on what can be expected, stating that though their discussion draft will not include a specific allocations scheme, they will be leading on the issue later in the process (at this point, the Finance committee is expected to attempt a full allocations scheme in their discussion draft, and some are predicting a "turf war" between the two committees somewhere down the road).

Though the Boxer-Kerry discussion draft was expected to include short term targets of 20% by 2020 from 2005 levels, Chairwoman Boxer commented recently that the targets may actually be "something between 17 and 20" percent instead.

Sens. Cardin (D-MD), Lautenberg (D-NJ), Sanders (I-VT), and Whitehouse (D-R.I.) are expected to continue to champion 20% by 2020 emissions cuts as well as stronger provisions on coal and the RES, amongst other things.

4. Coal Lobbyist Groups Blatantly Engaged in Fraud

Ever since voting yes on ACES in the House, Democratic Congressman Tom Perriello (D-VA05) has become a well-known target of the Republican Party. Despite being from a notoriously conservative constituency, he has repeatedly defended his vote, spurring the GOP to run ads against him in his own district.

Last Friday, it emerged that while ACES was still in the House and the Congressman was considering how he might vote, a lobbying firm forged letters on behalf of local interest groups (including one allegedly from the local chapter of the NAACP) demanding that Perriello vote no because of the supposedly negative impacts the bill would have.

Since then, the American Coalition for a Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) has been revealed as the organization that funded the lobby group's actions, and that Reps. Kathy Dahlkemper (PA03) and Carney (PA10) who ended up voting against the bill, also received forged letters.

The practice of creating a fake opposition movement, known as "astroturfing," is a common practice for lobby firms, but has spurred outrage among the environmental community recently given the inaccurate perception it creates that a majority of Americans want action on climate and energy now.

The Sierra Club launched an ad campaign condemning the forgery and MoveOn has asked their members to sign a petition calling for an official investigation by the US Department of Justice.

Chairman of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming and ACES co-sponsor Ed Markey (D-MA07) has committed to launching an investigation into the fraudulent letters.

5. Florida Swing Senator Mel Martinez to Retire Immediately

Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) officially announced on Friday that he will be resigning his Senate seat immediately, with a replacement to be appointed by Florida Republican Governor Charlie Crist.

Governor Crist is officially running for Sen. Martinez's seat in 2010, but is not expected to appoint himself to the position, preferring to continue his well-positioned bid for the seat in 2010.

Gov. Crist is generally seen as strong on climate. He has directed stimulus funds towards clean energy, worked to promote green jobs in his state and has even directed the State Department of Environmental Protection to draft rules for a statewide cap and trade system. Here's our take on Martinez's resignation.

6. Cash For Clunkers Continues

Responding to the depletion of the "Cash for Clunkers" program's funds after just one week, both the House and the Senate voted to appropriate an additional $2 billion to fund continuation.

Intended to stimulate the economy, decrease dependence on foreign oil, and spur cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, Cash For Clunkers provides rebates up to $4,500 for the exchange of older vehicles for new, more fuel-efficient models. To date, nearly 185,000 vehicles have been traded in, which will cause 72 million fewer gallons of gasoline to be consumed a year, and generate up to $216 million a year in savings. Republicans oppose the program.

7. New Research

The Energy Information Administration released their economic analysis of ACES this week, confirming the bill's affordability. Additionally, a new Duke University study has shown that ACES will cap the few businesses that generate the vast majority of industry emissions (PDF). Finally, the Federal government has found that glaciers in North America are shrinking at unprecedented rates.

Prepared by Rhiya Trivedi and Jason Kowalski. Comments? Contact jason@1sky.org.