Waxman Vows Climate Cap-and-trade Bill In March For Passage In 2009

摘要

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) says his Energy & Commerce Committee expects to release a draft of its comprehensive climate cap-and-trade bill before the end of March, with the goal of getting the legislation signed into law before U.S. negotiators travel to Copenhagen in December to negotiate a successor to the Kyoto Protocol. The suggestion may lead to a showdown with his counterparts in the Senate, who have indicated preferences for a slower timeline. Speaking at a March 3 press conference on Capitol Hill, Waxman said he would be working with leaders of several House committees - in particular Ways & Means, Agriculture and Banking - in crafting the climate bill, but he was adamant that development of a cap-and-trade scheme, rather than a carbon tax, would be the goal of his legislation. "Everyone wants to take a look at this and we'll have to engage in conversations with the leadership of all those committees as we move forward," Waxman told reporters. His response follows a suggestion from House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) that lawmakers form a "task force" comprising members of several committees with an interest in crafting climate policy.