Washington Examiner: Reid Continues To Delay: Reid said he plans to
"let this bill be seen by everyone that is interested in the subject, and I think the week that we get back after the Memorial Day recess I'll get all the chairmen together and take a look at what we need to do with energy for this year."
The Hill: Nelson uses Twitter to tell Kerry, Lieberman that drilling in climate bill won't fly (05/12/10) -
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) is using Twitter to warn Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) that their upcoming climate and energy bill shouldn't pare back the no-drilling buffer off Florida's Gulf of Mexico shores. "Word is climate bill might let rigs in Florida's no-drill zone. If Sens. Kerry, Lieberman are following me on Twitter: that's a non starter," Nelson tweeted on Tuesday afternoon. Under a 2006 law, oil-and-gas leasing is banned in a swath of the eastern Gulf of Mexico that extends 100-125 miles off the Florida panhandle and around 235 miles west of Tampa.
BNA: Uphill Battle to Get 60 Votes (05/12/10) -
The Senate bill still faces an uphill battle to get 60 votes before senators turn their attention to the November midterm elections, particularly after Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.), the bill's lone Republican supporter, abandoned the effort. Graham, who had worked with his two colleagues since the fall of 2009 to wed emissions caps with increased incentives for offshore drilling, nuclear power, and other industries, withdrew his support in April when Democratic leaders raised the possibility of moving an immigration bill to the floor before the climate bill. "Now I didn't say I was confident" of passage, Kerry said. "I am confident that there are votes out there [and] we have to go fight for them. It's a long, tough fight-we're going to do the best we can."
Bloomberg: U.S. Climate Bill Would Expand Offshore Drilling, Cut Emissions (05/12/10) - Senate leaders will meet next month to decide "what we need to do with energy for this year," Reid said yesterday.
Reid will probably choose an "energy-only" bill over Kerry and Lieberman's global-warming legislation, which is "very unlikely" to become law this year, K. Whitney Stanco, a Washington-based analyst for Concept Capital, said in an e-mail. Kerry and Lieberman are unveiling their legislation amid the controversy over the Gulf oil spill because "they have genuinely tried to balance interests in hopes of coming up with 60 votes" in the Senate and their work will "influence the debate in the future," Stanco said.
Congress Daily: Climate Plan Aims To Provide Something For Everyone (05/12/10) -
Begich said having revenue sharing in the bill "is a good step forward." He added that any bill that does not include drilling is a "nonstarter" with him. But some senators, like Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman, have staunchly opposed guaranteed revenue sharing for coastal-producing states and want all revenues to go to federal coffers that all states could tap. Bingaman stopped short Tuesday of saying it would be a deal breaker for him. "I want to see the whole package of legislation before Imake any judgment on the whole package," he said.
