Obama Calls for Climate Bill in 2011
Politico reports:
President Barack Obama is pledging to throw his full weight next year behind efforts to overhaul the nation's energy and climate change policies, though he concedes such moves might need to happen "in chunks."
In an interview published Tuesday by Rolling Stone magazine, Obama lamented how the economic crisis contributed to this year's Senate stalemate over a comprehensive bill to cap carbon dioxide emissions and establish renewable power standards.
But for the first time, Obama publicly committed to trying again next year.
"One of my top priorities next year is to have an energy policy that begins to address all facets of our overreliance on fossil fuels," Obama said. "We may end up having to do it in chunks, as opposed to some sort of comprehensive omnibus legislation. But we're going to stay on this because it is good for our economy, it's good for our national security and, ultimately, it's good for our environment."
Obama didn't elaborate on specific pieces he'd like to see move in the next version of energy and climate legislation, but ideas floating around on Capitol Hill include a nationwide standard for renewables and a limit just on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.
