Greening Austin Daily

Senate Climate Bill Introduced Today

12th May, 2010 - Posted by carsi - No Comments

After much delay, Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman introduced the American Power Act in the U.S. Senate today. The bill’s goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050. According to the NYT article, provisions in the bill include “loan guarantees for nuclear plant operators, incentives for use of natural gas in transportation, exemptions from emissions caps for heavy industry, free pollution permits for utilities and modest carbon dioxide limits for oil refiners.” Kerry vowed to get the bill passed this year, but that might prove difficult with the legislature facing a busy schedule and controversy over the oil spill in the Gulf. There are provisions in the bill that allow states to veto offshore drilling if there is a threat of economic or environmental harm

You can look at the full text of the bill here.