WASHINGTON - Eight Senate Democrats are opposing speedy action on President Barack Obama's bill to combat global warming, complicating prospects for the legislation and creating problems for their party's leaders.<br />
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The eight Democrats disapprove of using the annual budget debate to pass Obama's "cap and trade" bill to fight greenhouse gas emissions, a measure that divides lawmakers, environmentalists and businesses. The lawmakers' opposition makes it more difficult for Democratic leaders to move the bill without a threat of a Republican filibuster.<br />
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The budget debate is the only way to circumvent Senate rules that allow a unified GOP to stop a bill through filibusters.<br />
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"Enactment of a cap-and-trade regime is likely to influence nearly every feature of the U.S. economy," wrote the Democratic senators, mostly moderates. They were joined by 25 Republicans. "Legislation so far-reaching should be fully vetted and given appropriate time for debate."<br />
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It takes 60 votes to overcome a filibuster in the Senate, but Democrats and allied independents currently control 58 seats.<br />
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Under a cap and trade system, the government would auction off permits to emit greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. The auctions would raise almost $650 billion over the next decade, with the cost passed on to consumers as higher energy prices.<br />
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The cap and trade proposal is highly controversial, especially in heavily industrialized states and regions where people get their electricity from coal-fired power plants. Obama's promise to use most of the revenue to award $400 tax credits to most workers hasn't quelled the controversy since the increases in utility bills could easily exceed the amount of the tax cut.<br />
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The Democrats who signed the letter, addressed to the chairman and top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, were: Robert Byrd, W.Va.; Blanche Lincoln, Ark.; Mary Landrieu, La.; Carl Levin, Mich.; Evan Bayh, Ind.; Ben Nelson, Neb.; Bob Casey Jr., Pa.; and Mark Pryor, Ark.<br />
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The 25 Republicans were led by Sen. Mike Johanns of Nebraska.<br />
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Fast-track budget rules were used to enact President George W. Bush's tax cuts and two major budget bills during the Clinton administration, including a 1993 measure that failed to win a single GOP vote.<br />
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The House and Senate Budget committees are slated to vote on the budget resolution next week, with Senate debate scheduled for the week of March 30.<br />
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There also has been speculation that the expedited rules could be used to pass a health care overhaul bill, but senior Senate Democrats such as Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., oppose the idea, saying health reform must be enacted on a bipartisan basis.<br />
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The White House is open to the idea of using the fast-track rules for both global warming and health care.<br />
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"We would prefer not to start there, but we're not taking anything off the table at this point," White House budget chief Peter Orszag said last week.<br />
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