Boxer Hopes to Mark up Cap-and-Trade Legislation the First Week of August
Senate Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) plans to wait to mark up climate legislation until the week of August 3 in order to have a series of hearings first, she announced last week. Boxer plans to pivot off of House floor action on HR 2454, or the American Clean Energy & Security Act, which may be brought to the floor the week of June 22. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said it wasn't clear if the Ways and Means Committee and Agriculture Committee would hold markups on climate legislation before it comes before the entire House, though Hoyer said the committees "have the opportunity" to do so.
Last Thursday Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) met with the Reps. Waxman and Markey for more than an hour without bridging differences on the bill, though Peterson said "we made good progress." Peterson is pushing for the bill to be more favorable to farmers, such as giving the Agricultural Department the authority to decide whether environmentally friendly actions by farmers would qualify for lucrative benefits under a cap-and-trade allowance system. Currently, the bill gives the EPA this authority.
In the Senate, there was disagreement between Democrats over an offshore drilling amendment that made it into an energy bill being drafted in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The amendment, introduced by Sen. Bryon Dorgan (D-ND) permits drilling within 45 miles (and in one instance, within 25 miles) off the coast of Florida. Five of the committees 13 Democrats voted against the change. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee plans to wrap up the energy bill this week.
Boxer predicts a climate and energy bill in the Senate will have momentum no matter how large the margin is from the House floor vote -- just so long as it passes. Boxer said she would start writing her climate bill based off the House legislation but with "some modifications that some of our colleagues want." Other Senate committees that will have a stake in the climate legislation include the Energy and Natural Resources, Finance, Commerce and Foreign Relations panels.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has said he wants to hold a floor debate in the fall on the climate and energy package. Read more at E&E (sub. req'd)
