Senate opens debate on global warming, but discussion may cool off

By Lisa Mascaro

Monday, June 2, 2008 | 5:15 p.m.

WASHINGTON — Let the debate begin. The Senate voted overwhelmingly tonight to launch what some are calling the first comprehensive debate on global climate change in Congress.

The Senate voted 74-14 to open what is expected to be at least a week-long discussion on the Boxer-Warner-Lieberman bill. The centerpiece of the legislation is a cap-and-trade system that would require industries to cut their carbon emissions or be charged for polluting.

All but one Democrat and 32 Republicans, including Nevada Sen. John Ensign, agreed to launch the debate that is expected to consume the Senate this week — and possibly next.

Some Republicans want to open the debate so they can shoot the bill down. They believe the cap-and-trade system is little more than a tax hike on industry and they warn of higher gas prices at the pump and electrical bills at home.

Democrats counter that gas prices would rise 2 cents per gallon annually at most, and they warn that gas and electricity prices will escalate if the nation continues its reliance on fossil fuel and foreign energy sources. The bill creates a fund to help consumers pay for higher utility bills during the transition, as renewable power sources come on line.

For Nevadans, a key part of the debate may be an amendment supporting nuclear power, an issue of interest here as Yucca Mountain, 90 miles north of Las Vegas, is being considered as the nation’s nuclear waste dump.

Even though the bill’s author calls it “tripartisan” legislation – coming from California Democrat Sen. Barbara Boxer, Virginia Republican Sen. John Warner and Independent Democrat Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, the bill is not expected to get anywhere near the overwhelming support on final passage — and may not be passed at all.

President Bush today vowed a veto and many see this week’s vote as a trial run for next year, when a new president is in the White House.

Ensign spokesman Tory Mazzola said the senator looks forward to the debate but “we also need to consider how policies impact our economy and prices at the pump. The budgets of families across Nevada are already feeling a pinch when it comes to paying for energy.”

Sen. Harry Reid, the majority leader, said the time has come for the United States to lead on this issue. “What better opportunity than now to show the American people and the world that the United States Senate is ready to move beyond partisanship to do the right thing?”