Senators John Kerry and Joseph Lieberman are planning to roll out their long-awaited climate bill today. The bill is expected to call for a 17 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2020, an expansion of offshore oil drilling, loan guarantees for nuclear power plants, federal aid for so-called clean coal projects, and a provision to block the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. The Kerry-Lieberman bill has been criticized by several environmental groups, including Friends of the Earth and the Center for Biological Diversity. Friends of the Earth president Erich Pica said, “The bill would hand billions in giveaways to corporate polluters, including the oil, coal, nuclear and agribusiness industries, while creating a risky new subprime carbon market for Wall Street traders. All this is in exchange for pollution reduction goals far weaker than what scientists say are needed.”
Environmental Groups Criticize Kerry-Lieberman Climate Bill
HeadlineMay 12, 2010