Del.icio.us  Digg  facebook  MySpace  Twitter  Google  Bookmark Me  LinkedIn  StumbleUpon  Permalink

Cap-and-Trade Won't Pass Senate

Senator James Inhofe, R-Okla., was in Copenhagen for the climate change talks and had one goal in mind: making certain the 191 countries attending would not be deceived into thinking the U.S. would pass cap-and-trade legislation. Speaking at the conference, the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, said there are political and policy issues that must be addressed before the U.S. Senate will ratify a new climate change treaty.

"At this stage, the prospect of achieving an overarching agreement, one that meets the conditions established in the Byrd-Hagel resolution, are bleak," Inhofe said. "Mainly due to the intractable demands of China, India, and other developing nations."

Those demands include more funds to deal with the impacts of climate change and the right to increase emissions, albeit at a slower rate of growth. Inhofe added that other ideas that have repeatedly been raised by developing nations are simply too costly and unworkable for the United States to accept.