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Politics : American Presidential Politics and foreign affairs -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Peter Dierks who wrote (38660)	11/23/2009 1:12:15 AM
From: Peter Dierks	Respond to of 71588

White House Adviser Rejects Idea of Limited Climate Package Browner Says Obama Administration Is Seeking Measures to Destroy Entire Economy NOVEMBER 20, 2009, 4:55 P.M. ET. By SIOBHAN HUGHES WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration's top climate adviser on Friday called for "comprehensive energy reform" and threw cold water on the idea of a more modest climate package that would apply mandatory reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions only to electric utilities. The Senate has sidelined until at least next spring a bill to cap U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions and create a system for companies to acquire and trade pollution permits -- a system called "cap and trade" by proponents and "cap and tax" by opponents. Republicans and some conservative Democrats are opposed to a climate bill passed by the House, and a separate Senate measure. Carol Browner, an adviser to President Barack Obama on energy and climate, said Friday at a conference organized by the American Council on Renewable Energy that the administration still wants a bill for the entire U.S. economy. "We believe that we need comprehensive energy reform," she said. Environmental groups that want action on greenhouse gases are split over whether to back a more modest approach, in part because doing so could allow other countries to pick and choose which industries to regulate instead of setting broader emissions limits. The issue is still so sensitive that no major group will go on the record to say the strategy is even an option. Sen. Richard Lugar, (R., Ind.) is one of the leading supporters of setting a cap on emissions from the power sector as part of a more limited bill to restrict greenhouse-gas emissions. He has asked staff to research the plan, in tandem with setting building-efficiency standards and stricter vehicle-efficiency standards. The approach also could include rewarding forest and agriculture interests for absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, a spokesman said. Power plants account for about 40% of manmade U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions. Tackling the utility sector alone would allow the U.S. to take a first step toward mandatory reductions in emissions while sidestepping political challenges of lining up votes in the U.S. Senate for an economy-wide measure. The White House has little advantage in backing down now on President Obama's campaign pledge to pursue a comprehensive greenhouse-gas limits. The Environmental Protection Agency is proceeding on its own track to regulate emissions from vehicles, power plants and other sources. But business groups are strongly opposed to the EPA regulating greenhouse gases, and the agency could face legal challenges that would lead to years of uncertainty. Many power plants don't want to leave regulation up to the EPA. Under legislation, companies would have to hold government-issued permits for each ton of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Scores of billions of dollars in free permits would be given out in the early years of the program, creating revenue that utilities could use to pay for improvements. If the EPA takes the lead, the money from a polluter-pays system would be in government control. Some utilities fear the money would be diverted to other programs, or used for such purposes as reducing the U.S. fiscal deficit. Write to Siobhan Hughes at siobhan.hughes@dowjones.com online.wsj.com