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To: no1coalking who wrote (1466)	10/31/2007 5:35:40 PM
From: no1coalking	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2774

CLIMATE: Lautenberg wins last-minute changes to warming bill (10/31/2007) Darren Samuelsohn, E&ENews PM senior reporter Two provisions were added today to a global warming bill on the move in the Senate, according to Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.). The changes would advance new restrictions on heat-trapping emissions from the natural gas sector and mandate binding scientific reviews that could allow for stronger pollution reduction requirements. The provisions were added to a manager's amendment to be marked up tomorrow in a Senate subcommittee on global warming, Lautenberg said. Earlier in the week, Lautenberg's support for "America's Climate Security Act," S. 2191 was uncertain, but his office issued a statement saying he will vote for the measure now that he has secured language addressing some of his concerns. "To protect our families and our planet, we need to drastically reduce emissions, and this bill is a good starting point," Lautenberg said in the statement. A manager's amendment likely to be approved at tomorrow's Senate Environment and Public Works subcommittee markup would increase the legislation's coverage beyond power plants, petroleum refiners and major manufacturers. The bill would restrict greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas supplied to residential and commercial buildings -- a sector that was not covered in the initial draft of the Lieberman-Warner bill. Amendments to Lieberman-Warner climate bill, S. 2191 Senators (Click for amendment links) Description Lieberman, Warner, Baucus, Lautenberg Manager's amendment. Sanders Shifts at least 28 percent of auction revenue to renewables. Sanders Shifts up to 16 percent of auction revenue toward state, local and tribal government bloc grants for reducing fossil fuel use and increasing energy efficiency. Sanders Defines advanced technology vehicles eligible for auction revenue as a vehicle capable of 35 miles per gallon fuel economy. Sanders Defines what U.S. EPA must do after scientific reviews of emission targets. Sanders Ends free allocations to power plants, industrial facilities in 2026 instead of 2036. Sanders Speeds up the amount of allocations to be auctioned by about 10 years. Sanders Bans new coal plants that can't capture and sequester 85 percent of CO2 emissions. Sanders Changes criteria for allowances given to new coal plants. Sanders Requires U.S. EPA to establish rules allowing for equal distribution of offset projects among regulated industries. Sanders Changes emission targets. Barrasso Changes criteria for carbon capture and storage projects eligible for auction revenue. Barrasso Establishes a Rocky Mountain Center for the Study of Coal Utilization at the University of Wyoming. Barrasso Deletes "petroleum or coal-based" from the definition of transportation fuel producers and importers. Barrasso Gives states 5 percent of allocations and reduces allocations for international forest protection. Barrasso Promotes high-altitude coal gasification. Barrasso Gives "lower rank" coal access to auction revenue. Bill now only mentions subbituminous and lignite coal. Barrasso Creates the "American Jobs and Family Budget Security Commission," an 8-member panel that studies economic costs on federal and state budgets. Barrasso Terminates the law after five years for a Congressional study examining whether it is possible to achieve the emission caps. Lautenberg's office said the additional restrictions could lead to a more aggressive overall reduction in U.S. emissions in 2020, from 15 percent to about 20 percent. Also added to the Lieberman-Warner bill is a mandatory U.S. EPA review of the country's emission levels to ensure the bill's targets line up with National Academy of Sciences' recommendations. Congress must ratify any changes to the emission limits too. Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), John Warner (R-Va.), Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Lautenberg will offer the manager's amendment with the two additional items. Also today, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) signed up as a cosponsor to the bill, bringing the total to 10. Amendment picture The bill's passage out of subcommittee now appears certain. But tomorrow's markup will also feature debate on as many as 18 amendments. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has filed 10 amendments to change different pieces of the Lieberman-Warner bill. At a press conference in the Capitol, Sanders blasted provisions in the current bill that would dedicate $324 billion of auction revenue toward the coal industry for carbon capture and sequestration, plus another $232 billion to automakers. "It disturbs me very much," he said. One of Sanders' amendments would change the distribution plan so that an equal amount of the auction revenue goes toward renewables, such as solar, wind and geothermal power. Another Sanders' amendment would end the free allocation of credits to power plants and industrial facilities in 2026 instead of 2035. Sanders also will propose language that would prohibit the construction of any new coal plants that cannot capture and sequester 85 percent of their CO2 emissions. Speaking with reporters, Sanders suggested he would not press for all of his amendments. And he also stopped short of outlining what it would take for him to sign off on the Lieberman-Warner bill. "I'm not saying that everyone of the amendments have got to be adopted," he said. "We'll see how it goes." Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) emphasized his home state's abundant coal supplies with his eight proposed amendments. One Barrasso amendment would ramp up the auction revenue toward carbon sequestration over the next 40-plus years as the technology becomes more reliable and available. "If we want to begin addressing the impacts, we must be realistic in what can be accomplished and build on what we can achieve today," reads a statement from Barrasso's office in describing the amendment. Another Barrasso amendment would create the "American Jobs and Family Budget Security Commission." This eight-member panel would study the economic costs of the new U.S. climate policy on federal and state budgets. Barrasso also will propose an amendment that sunsets the climate law after five years while Congress studies whether it is even possible to achieve the emission caps spelled out in the Lieberman-Warner measure. Looking ahead to the full EPW Committee markup, Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) today promised to offer an amendment that insists on the promotion of nuclear power as part of any carbon caps. "As we tumble through this ... we need to get it right, but we cannot have it both ways," Craig said.