Final Thoughts on a Dead Climate Bill
Treehugger – July 23, 2010
I know I’ve ranted and raved a fair amount about the ignominious death of comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation. But lest we all head into our weekends wholly downtrodden and helpless-feeling, a few more words need to be uttered before the casket is lowered into the ground for good (am I getting carried away with this metaphor, here?). Here are some important final thoughts on the demise of the climate bill — and where we can and should go from here.
The battle isn’t over
This is true in more ways than one — first, it is unlikely but possible that some form of carbon-pricing legislation could surface next year, from entirely different tack and framing.
Second, reports are coming in that the EPA’s Supreme Court-approved ability to regulate greenhouse gases is already again coming under fire. Senator Murkowski’s effort to strip the EPA of that power was already defeated, but climate action opponents are regrouping to try again. If they succeed, we will literally have no mechanism left by which to deal with carbon emissions, and the United States may as well not even acknowledge that global warming exists — our policies will so bluntly disregard it. This ability must be protected at all costs.