The Little Climate Bill That Could...Not?

H.R.  2454: The American Clean Energy and Security Act passed the House of Representatives on June 26th, 2009.  The margin – 7 votes.  Although this is a victory for the bill, passing the Senate is going to be a major challenge.  The Senate bends to a different kind of pressure, as they have a larger constituency to consider and longer terms to make moves.

I will say one thing though from reports; it seems that Obama is going about this in a way that people can respect: he is willing to explore compromise.  And it seems like the final product of this Climate Bill, at least the one passed in the House, is one that environmental groups still feel have enough teeth to be relevant progress.  

I also look at the vote break down.  The bill needed 216 to pass and the bill got over the hump with 8 Republican votes.  It may not be much in the way of bipartisan results, but it is a far cry from the definitive split down party lines (44 Dems opposed the bill).  

The spirit is right in this bill: find the common ground with interest groups and those that the bill will affect and convince them to accept some changes, while not being to zealous and overbearing, all-or-nothing oriented, with the text of the bill.  It seems like it still will accomplish the goal of reducing global warming, creating clean energy jobs, and increasing energy independence in its present form.

However, I suspect the bill will run into competition with business leaders and their Senate supporters.  Additionally, in an economy such as ours right now, passing requirements that are out of the ordinary of normal business practices is a quick red flag – its like saying, times are difficult enough without you creating another restriction that makes us less competitive in an already ailing economy!

This will be interesting to see the life of this House-Approved bill in the Senate, because I feel like it is heading up a mountain on a track that it cannot climb; this will be a major disappointment to environmentalist – a bill stripped of its teeth and purpose.

Popularity: -1% [?]