Darren covered this over at ClimateWire, but I’m not sure a straight news story can really capture the toxicity and absurdity of what the Inhofe is planning to do on the climate bill next week.
Some background: when the Waxman-Markey chairman’s mark was released, the EPA undertook an exhaustive five-week analysis of its economic impacts. (It found that the costs to household would be modest and the bill would actually lower electricity bills.) When the action moved over to the Senate and the Kerry-Boxer chairman’s mark was released, the EPA determined that the bill was 90 percent identical to the Waxman-Markey bill, and thus that another full, five-week modeling run was unnecessarily duplicative. Instead, it took two weeks to analyze the differences between the bills and whether they would substantially affect the economic impacts. (They wouldn’t.)
That’s seven weeks of analysis total. But not enough for Inhofe (who will, of course, vote against any bill regardless). He’s demanding that the EPA do another full, five-week modeling run, and unless he gets what he wants, he’s threatening to lead Republicans in a boycott of the markup next week.
Now, remember: the bills are 90 percent identical, and the 10 percent differences don’t alter the overall costs. So we already know exactly what a modeling run would show. We know! Everyone knows! Inhofe knows. It’s a pure, unadulterated waste of time and government resources.
Here’s Boxer’s response, from E&E:
EPW Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) is expected to notice the Tuesday markup later today despite the boycott threat. Boxer yesterday told reporters she is “going to use every tool at our disposal to get this done.”
She added, “My chief of staff and chief counsel tell me that we can go next week, according to the rules, according to what we’ve got available. And that’s our intention. That’s our plan. And that’s our hope.”
Boxer did not go into specifics on how she would move the bill, but there appear to be several options. For starters, Boxer and Senate Democratic leaders could use Senate Rule 14, which allows the majority to discharge legislation out of a committee and bring it directly to the floor.
Democrats could also break with a long-standing EPW Committee precedent that requires two minority members to be in attendance for a markup to even begin. According to the committee rules, Boxer appears to have an exception available that would pave the way for votes on both amendments and the overall bill so long as a majority of the committee’s members are present.
Going this route, according to one former Senate Democratic aide, could spell trouble for the overall legislation as Boxer and her allies continue their search for 60 votes among moderate Democrats and Republicans. “That product is totally toxic,” the former staffer warned. “It’s basically worthless.”
This last ‘graph is key: the danger here is not so much that Inhofe can block markup, but he can make the entire process so toxic that any hope of Republican support is lost—and the bill won’t pass without some Republican support.
So it’s classic Inhofe: a petty procedural ratf*ck designed to poison the waters and prevent and reasonable engagement with the issues at hand.
Oh, and don’t be misled—like Politico was—by efforts to make more moderate Rs like Voinovich and Alexander the public face of this effort. Voinovich submitted the request to the EPA weeks ago, but this has all the marks of Inhofe, the Wormtongue who whispers poison into his colleagues’ ears.
See also Steve Benen, Enviroknow, Kate Sheppard, and Brad Plumer.
December 19—the day after COP15
On ‘climategate’
Comments
View as Flat
Delay And Deny Posted 9:54 pm
30 Oct 2009
Chicago's Bloomingdale Rail Could Become Giant, Hydrogen-Producing Greenhouse
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/10/chicago-rail-line-could-be-giant-greenhouse.php
"Our comrades at Inhabitat report on how the uber-architectural firm Gensler has envisioned turning the Bloomingdale railroad, a three-mile stretch of abandoned track, into a colossal greenhouse...[I]ncludes using space below the tracks for producing hydrogen, which could then be used to power Chicago public schools (thus the project name: HYDROGENerator)."
Iceland is moving toward a hydrogen future
http://green.blorge.com/2009/10/iceland-is-moving-toward-a-hydrogen-future/
"For example, while auto manufacturers are pushing hybrid and electric vehicles in the United States, they will be making hydrogen vehicles for Iceland. Seven well known automakers ((1) Daimler AG; (2) Ford Motor Company; (3) General Motors Corporation; (4) Honda Motor Co.; (5) Hyundai Motor Company/KIA; (6) The Alliance Renault S A/ Nissan Motor Co.; and (7) Toyota Motor Corporation) signed a letter of understanding in September of this year. Under that agreement the companies will be “producing approximately a few hundred thousand units on a worldwide basis no later than 2015, possibly sooner.â€
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fpteditors Posted 12:08 pm
02 Nov 2009
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ce1908 Posted 10:37 pm
30 Oct 2009
he is not
he is hard core Repub, determinedly partisan, deceitful and trying to cause trouble. constantly
Sp*ctor is an eccentric coward. is that a moderate? anyway, no hope in hell he will vote for capntrade this year
in fact, only one Repub will and 8-15 Dems won't
please stop talking as if any climate bill can pass the Senate this year. not true
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Billhook Posted 6:26 am
31 Oct 2009
Equally, is there not one senior republican who sees that, as climate destabilization predictably collapses that prosperity & wellbeing, it is the brazen misconduct of the Republican Party that will be held to blame, for generations hence ?
Are they really that dumb ?
Regards,
Billhook
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fpteditors Posted 11:28 am
31 Oct 2009
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Billhook Posted 3:15 pm
31 Oct 2009
Maybe you're also unaware that without the US govt. being empowered to sign a formally negotiated global cap on GHG outputs,
with equitably allocated national output-rights under that cap,
there will be no global reduction of the pollution now intensifying climate destabilization ?
Could it be that you're also unaware that the fossil/neocon lobby will happily attack the K/B bill from anywhere that gives a vantage point, and that includes attacking it from the Left ?
Then again, I guess you may be perfectly well aware of these things.
Regards,
Billhook
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fpteditors Posted 12:03 pm
02 Nov 2009
http://freepublictransit.org
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Billhook Posted 5:24 pm
02 Nov 2009
This has now been remedied, (though further refinement of accreditation regimes is plainly needed) and the trading system is trusted to serve in achieving swingeing GHG output cuts - eg, at least 30% by 2020 for the UK (off the agreed 1990 basline), and 42% if other Annexe 1 nations follow suit.
By comparison, the best the US can offer is just 4%. That failure to participate seriously is still the main threat to the function of mitigation efforts worldwide. Why should others act if America welches ?
But with US attitudes exemplified by people trying to use the climate crisis to avoid having to pay bus fares, maybe that failure isn't too suprising.
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fpteditors Posted 3:35 am
10 Nov 2009
http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1109-indonesia.html
Are you as concerned about the trillions in auto subsidies are you are disdainful of poor bus riders?
The climate crises is really bringing out the trolls and wannabe trolls. You are a real piece of work! Readers who want more on this, please go to http://frepubtra.blogspot.com
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Tasermons Partner Posted 4:56 pm
31 Oct 2009
See how much they'll wish they had compromised then...
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Zain Posted 8:53 am
01 Nov 2009
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amazingdrx Posted 9:40 am
01 Nov 2009
It was insufferable, the lowliest nonsensical crap was drudged up yet again, all the toxic rhetoric we are used to in comments here on Grist and have debunked for years.
If you think healthcare reform is difficult, get ready for the national "debate" on climate cure legislation. It should surpass the "death panel" and "socialism" talking points by several levels of vitriolic regurgitation.
Even bills that do nothing, like the present healthcare reform and climate legislation, will be compared to maoist armageddon. If the lie-bermans and blue dogs were properly labeled corporate feudalists (republicans), where would we the people stand as far as representation in congress? In the sad powerless minority.
Political labels change, but not corporate politics.
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Billhook Posted 2:52 pm
01 Nov 2009
After all, calculating moves, counter-moves and near-term consequences is the essence of the power games the politicos indulge in -
If so, the Republican preference is arguably for Obama, having failed to get K/B passed to help achieve even a vaguely credible Copenhagen outcome, to have to take the flack for the EPA's regulation of GHG pollution.
And that's a plot that could intensify steadily all the way through the mid-term elections to Obama's bid for re-election. (The slogan "It ain't global and it won't work", though patently dishonest, could be heard once more).
Which is why the attacks purportedly from the Left on the K/B bill seem to me either surprisingly stupid, or bent.
Regards,
Billhook
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Best local Business Posted 2:44 am
02 Nov 2009
Best local Business
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Mark McIntosh Posted 8:32 am
02 Nov 2009
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hsr0601 Posted 3:47 pm
03 Nov 2009
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Billhook Posted 6:12 am
04 Nov 2009
The utter lack of creative innovative responses to that corruption (let alone resolute responses) seems to me the main failing of the Obama administration.
Maybe the administration needs to learn that appeasement only empowers a bully ?
Regards,
Billhook
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