WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate dropped a major global warming bill on Friday that would have mandated major cuts in greenhouse gas emissions after it failed to garner enough votes for formal consideration.
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(Photo: AP Images / Ric Francis, File)In this May 21, 2008 file photo, customers re-fuel their vehicles at a Beverly Hills, Calif. gas station, The economic cost of confronting global warming - from higher electricity bills to more expensive gasoline - is driving the debate as climate change takes center stage in Congress.
In a 48 to 36 vote, the Climate Security Act of 2008 (S. 3036) fell a dozen votes short of the needed number to end debate and begin considering amendments to the bill, according to The Washington Post.
During its weeklong review by the Senate, the bill sparked intense partisan bickering over which party cared more about solving the problems of American citizens.
Seven Republicans, 39 Democrats and two Independents voted to move the bill forward, according to Environment News Service. Four Democrats and 32 Republicans voted in opposition.
Proponents of the bill blamed Republicans for “refusing to address one of the most important issues of our time.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) defended Democrats as having “tried to curb global warming, lower gas prices and invest in renewable energy, but Republicans have squandered each opportunity,” according to The Washington Post.
Meanwhile, Republicans said the bill would have raised the cost of energy during a time of economic hardship.
"It is a climate tax," said Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from the coal-producing state of Kentucky, according to ENS. "This legislation will raise gas prices, electricity prices, diesel prices, natural gas prices, and fertilizer prices. It will also put America at a significant economic disadvantage compared to the rest of the world."
The bill – sponsored by Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) and John W. Warner (R-Va.) – called for greenhouse gas emissions to be cut 18 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and nearly 70 percent by 2050.
Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) described the bill as “probably the biggest, most complicated bill” the Senate has considered in the 36 years he has been a senator, according to ENS.
He noted the bill calls for 39 new rules and regulations and the establishment of 58 federal programs.
A group of pro-emission cap evangelicals had supported the bill and urged lawmakers to end the filibuster to move it forward.
“This legislation opens a new era of concern about the impact of global warming on this and future generations and we view it with a sharp moral lens,” said the Rev. Jim Ball, spokesperson for the Evangelical Climate Initiative, in a statement released Thursday before the bill was pulled.
The Evangelical Climate Initiative has more than 100 signers and includes prominent pastors such as Rick Warren and Bill Hybels.
“This is no time for political machinations; it’s time for the Senate to act now to protect our most vulnerable neighbors and to create a healthy world for our children and grandchildren,” Ball said.
But other Christians are opposed to the bill because it requires deep cuts in carbon emissions, which they argue would be more detrimental than helpful to humans. Supporters of the “We Get It!” campaign contend that it is not proven that global warming is mainly human-induced and that the Bible teaches Christians to care for their neighbors.
“The number of premature deaths, number of diseases, and the harm to the human economy that can be predicted from the policies used to fight the warming” is more destructive than even if all the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)-predicted global warming-caused disasters came true, Dr. E. Calvin Beisner, founder and national spokesman for the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation, said at the launch of the “We Get It!” campaign in May. Continue >>
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shimobe
Al Gore was a consumate liar to begin with
so even my own realistic and OUTRAGEOUS observations would make far more sense than Gore's work ever could. XD
the godless revere the smart sounding godless!
the godly revere only God and His work!
what a ridiculous piece of legislation. who are they trying to fool? the nature of a bill aimed at combatting global warming is one of raising prices on things like gasoline. i'm glad this bill failed.
i am all for the development of alternative fuel sources, though. especially if it means ending our dependency on the tyrannical and barbaric muslim world. we've played the harlot for them for much too long.
as for the global warming 'crisis,' i highly recommend the film "the great global warming swindle." it offers a compelling counter-take on al gore's piece.
How about we start worrying more about reducing our use of natural resources than something that has not even been proven to be caused by man?! A recent study showed that Mars and Jupitor are also rising in temperature.
Also, how long ago was the ice age?? You don't think the earth has been constantly increasing in temperature since then? Give me a break. I believe global warming is happening just not by us.
Bravo Republicans!!! Thank you for standing your ground regardless of how the media will try to manipulate the facts, such as been done here. What was not mentioned in the article was the huge tax burden that this bill would cause. This overwhelming regulatory structure would cost the average American household $1,000 to $6,700 annually, according to various economic studies. One study estimated that the bill would result in two to four million lost jobs. The business community wants to be a leader in crafting a logical plan to address climate change, and part of that leadership is pointing out that this is a bill which will take an enormous amount of manpower to implement, will delay action on climate change for years to come, and does nothing to advance the development and rapid deployment of new technologies.
See full article: http://www.chamberpost.com/2008/06/regulatory-inef.html?CFID=1050598&CFTOKEN=46ed235944c10e-6D8FC72F-0B6C-1D97-EABCB77A80186E57
Hey!
Do like me and surf with www.treehoo.com as your deafult homepage, it has google search and more. Treehoo uses most of its profit to plant trees to fight global warming and climate change. It's easy and free to help the planet! Can your actual webportal beat that?