Efficiency First

Lindsey Graham joins John Kerry in a bipartisan call for Senate action on climate change

Last Sunday’s New York Times featured an extraordinary op-ed piece co-written by Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. These two legislators from opposite sides of the aisle have  joined forces to propose a realistic path to compromise on the energy legislation now pending on Capitol Hill.

“We refuse to accept the argument that the United States cannot lead the world in addressing global climate change,” the Senators said. “We are also convinced that we have found both a framework for climate legislation to pass Congress and the blueprint for a clean-energy future that will revitalize our economy, protect current jobs and create new ones, safeguard our national security and reduce pollution.”

Their proposal essentially boils down to balancing an aggressive cap on carbon emissions with measures promoting increased domestic oil and gas production, nuclear power and clean coal technology. The Senators also called for trade barriers targeting countries that don’t conform to tough environmental standards, and price controls to protect U.S. businesses and consumers from energy price increases.

Graham and Kerry conclude that:

The message to those who have stalled for years is clear: killing a Senate bill is not success; indeed, given the threat of agency regulation, those who have been content to make the legislative process grind to a halt would later come running to Congress in a panic to secure the kinds of incentives and investments we can pass today. Industry needs the certainty that comes with Congressional action.

We are confident that a legitimate bipartisan effort can put America back in the lead again and can empower our negotiators to sit down at the table in Copenhagen in December and insist that the rest of the world join us in producing a new international agreement on global warming. That way, we will pass on to future generations a strong economy, a clean environment and an energy-independent nation.

Read the full article here:

www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/opinion/11kerrygraham.html?pagewanted=1