Senate Watch, Post-Copenhagen: Bennett, Bond, Casey, Durbin, Graham, Inhofe, Kaufman, Kerry, Levin, McCain, Murkowksi, Nelson, Rockefeller, Voinovich
Kit Bond (R-Mo.)E&E News I don’t think they got anything in Copenhagen that encourages anyone. Except Jim Inhofe.
Bob Casey (D-Penn.)E&E News on developing countries: They are going to continue to develop the energy they need. They’re not fools.
Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)Politico The reality for states like Pennsylvania is, even as we move forward with any kind of climate change legislation, there are going to be cost impacts. We want to make sure we’re not adding yet another cost impact that other countries don’t have to shoulder.
The Hill We’re going to move forward on it. I hope we can get it done this coming year.
Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)Politico We have a responsibility to deal with this issue. We have to acknowledge the obvious. China, one of our great competitors in the world, is taking the green leap forward, as they say. They are committing themselves to this new energy-efficient economy, and they are building companies even in the United States that will make those products. Will the United States stand by the sidelines or will we be part of this leap forward? I don’t want to lose those jobs.
The Hill I want to work with this administration, but this healthcare proposal has made it very hard for Republicans to sit down at the table with these guys, because of the way they have run over us. But at the end of the day we have more problems than just healthcare.
I want to help solve hard problems, but this healthcare bill has made a hard problem worse.
When [Venezuelan President] Hugo Chavez got a standing ovation in Copenhagen it made me sick to my stomach, but the only way he is relevant is because of the oil revenues.
I think in many ways it is going to be seen as ineffective, but it is some transparency that we don’t have today.
James Inhofe (R-Okla.)Politico If we don’t do it by then [pass legislation by spring], we’ll have a hard time doing it.
Ted Kaufman (D-Del.)E&E News Speed things along? You’ve got to be kidding me, surely you jest. ... Nothing was done, another total failure, just like all the rest of them.
John Kerry (D-Mass.)Politico If China will not let us verify, we’re going to have a heck of a time here. An agreement’s no good if you can’t verify.
Politico Clearly, senators and congressmen were not going to do something if other people are not going to do something — so that’s a start. There’s still going to be people who resist, there’s still going to be naysayers, there’s still going to be people who doubt the science.
E&E News Now the proof will be in our willingness to do some things we need to do, and assuming we step up, I think that’s going to set an example to a lot of other countries. I think you had to have some deal where the major emitters are beginning to reduce. Having China at the table was the most critical thing because most of our colleagues are saying, ‘Well what about China? What about China? If they don’t do it, it won’t make any difference.’ The less developed countries, the truly less developed countries barely emit. And so we have some time to work with them to bring them to the table.
John McCain (R-Ariz.)E&E News Unless India and China are bound and we know what the details are—I don’t think necessarily that their agreeing to goals or whatever it was they agreed to will have an effect on cap and trade. If there was a binding agreement that tied them into limits that were meaningful, then I think that would have advanced the legislation. From what I understand of this, it’s more of agreeing to goals.
The Hill I think that the fact it has no binding provisions to it whatsoever is a rhetorical attempt to cover up what was obviously a serious failure.
Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)E&E News “It’s a nothingburger,” said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), adding that while he had not read the actual language that was slowly emerging from Copenhagen, he had been told by others not to expect much.
Ben Nelson (D-Neb.)E&E News Whenever you have developing countries, and certainly China and India stepping forward and indicating that they have a willingness to be a participant, I think that’s a strong indicator that we’ll have opportunities to be working and I think that that is progress.
Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.)E&E News Look, I don’t succumb to international pressure. Honestly, I think it’s something that we need to work with other countries on, but I don’t expect other countries to pressure us. This is not the United States’ responsibility to please the world, secure the world, or enforce against the world with these kinds of requirements. We need to participate to the extent we can and to me that’s our role.
George Voinovich (R-Ohio)E&E News I think that the Chinese are perfectly capable of being on board for something and then not doing it.
E&E News I know for a fact that even though the government of China says they are committed to X and Y, the economy in China is run by the governors of the state. . . We know that if we commit to something, we will do it.