WASHINGTON – This week, several committees of the U.S. Senate — including the Environment and Public Works, Finance, and Foreign Relations panels — will convene hearings with key administration officials, outside experts, and governors from states that stand to be hardest hit if a nationwide, one-size-fits-all cap-and-trade regime becomes law. In advance of those proceedings, Thomas J. Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research (IER), issued the following statement: