Kerry, Reid, & Browner Kill Climate Bill During Netroots

(11AM EST – promoted by Nightprowlkitty)

Time for the “Couldn’t make this up if I tried” part of the daily dosage of dodder.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Climate Bill Would Cut Deficit

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…

WASHINGTON –   Congressional budget experts say a climate and energy bill now stalled in the Senate would reduce the federal deficit by about $19 billion over the next decade.

The report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office was the second positive analysis of the bill by a government agency in a month, but is likely to carry more weight than a similar report issued by the Environmental Protection Agency. The CBO is the entity responsible for providing Congress with nonpartisan analyses of economic and budget issues, and lawmakers rely on it for guidance.

An analysis by the EPA last month concluded that the Senate bill, dubbed the American Power Act, would cost households an average of $79 to $146 per year. Kerry and Lieberman said they believe Americans are willing to pay less than a dollar a day to curb global warming, reduce oil imports and create energy-related jobs.

Two weeks later.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

let’s have a climate meetup to bitch about the bill. RT@ {xxxxxx} Heading to Las Vegas for #nn10, who’s going to be there ?

See you there ! heading out to {xx} for a short flight to LV for #nn10, hope to see lots of impacterinos

Jul 21st via TweetDeck

well known enviroblogger, name redacted  

13 days later:

Tuesday July 20, 2010

Administration officials and utility executives meet to salvage climate bill

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wi…

White House climate adviser Carol Browner met with officials from the Edison Electric Institute – a trade group representing investor-owned utilities – to seek agreement on a carbon-pricing plan that focuses on power plants.

“That was probably the most productive meeting we’ve had all day,” said one utility official who attended the session, which was confirmed by the White House.

The common theme in each of the meetings – which included visits with Sens. Jim Webb (D-Va.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) and Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) – was either opposition to any kind of cap-and-trade program or that it is a matter that cannot be resolved quickly, according to officials involved.  

Bingaman has drafted a utility-only carbon-pricing plan but has openly questioned whether it would have the votes. His spokesman said Tuesday that talks on the matter have been suspended.  

Several Senate Democrats including Byron Dorgan(D, ND),  Blanche Lincoln, (D,Ark), and Ben Nelson(D, ND) are clear cap and trade opponents.  

Thursday, July 22, 2010

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…

Senate Democrats on Thursday gave up plans to attempt to pass an energy bill that caps greenhouse gasses blamed for global warming, abandoning a priority of President Barack Obama.

In recent weeks, Senate Democrats floated a more modest approach that would limit the carbon tax to the electricity sector. That plan, which drew support from the White House and words of encouragement from Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, was never formally proposed. But it, too, failed to attract the 60 votes needed to advance it in the 100-member Senate.

Instead, Reid and other Democrats said they would focus on a narrower bill that responds to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and improves energy efficiency.

“We’ve always known from Day One that to pass comprehensive energy reform you’ve got to have 60 votes,” Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said at a Capitol news conference with Reid and White House energy adviser Carol Browner. “As we stand here today we don’t have one Republican vote.”  

A week and a half ago:

http://www.facebook.com/notes/…

Join Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Joan McCarter next week at Netroots Nation

Monday, July 12, 2010 at 12:19pm

Five years ago when we held our first convention in Las Vegas, Democrats were in the minority in both houses of Congress and George W. Bush was in the middle of his second term.

A lot has changed in five years. But like our first YearlyKos Convention, Nevada’s own Harry Reid will join us again at Netroots Nation for a conversation with you.

Sen. Reid will join us for an interactive Ask the Leader session moderated by Joan McCarter, contributing editor at Daily Kos. In the next week and a half, she will gather questions via Twitter and Facebook and from blog comment threads. You can also submit your own question in advance right here.

The Ask the Leader session is scheduled for Saturday at 3:15 p.m. Later that evening, Sen. Al Franken will speak to you about continuing the progressive fight.

email I received recently, from a certain national Democratic organization, paraphrased:

Won’t you sign this petition and call your Senators today to help pass this energy legislation ?

uhmmmm, what legislation ?