As the year ticks to a close and the new Congress is on the verge of begining, senators are already announcing plans to offer new climate change bills in the 111th Congress in 2009. Senator Barbara Boxer of California informed the press that she is going to propose a "streamlined" bill from the one offered by Senators Lieberman and Warner in 2008. The latter bill was voted out of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, but went no where in the full senate. Senator Boxer intends to include the greenhouse gas reductions that President Elect Obama announced during his campaign. She also plans to offer a second bill that would provide the $15 billion clean energy and "green jobs" program that Obama has touted as part of an economic stimulus package.
Senator Lieberman has announced that he and Senator John McCain will author a new bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to address climate change. The two senators offered on of the first climate change bills.
The new year will likely start of with a bang in terms of new climate change bills. Ultimately the issue will come down to whether any bill will be able to gather 60 votes in the Senate and, thus, overcome a potential filibuster of those senators who oppose any climate change legislation.
