US Senate Panel Delays Action on Climate Change Bill

Chris Carlson / AP

President Barack Obama's push for quick action by Congress on climate change legislation suffered a setback Thursday when the U.S. Senate committee leading the drive delayed work on the bill until September.

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer said her self-imposed deadline of early August for finishing writing a bill to combat global warming has been put off until after Congress returns from a recess that ends in early September.

"We'll do it as soon as we get back" from that break, Boxer told reporters.

Asked if this delay jeopardizes chances the Senate will pass a bill this year, Boxer said, "Not a bit...we'll be in (session) until Christmas, so I'm not worried about it." But Boxer did not guarantee Congress will be able to finish a bill and deliver it to Obama by December, when he plans to attend an international summit on climate change in Copenhagen.

"I want to take this as far as we can take it (before Copenhagen). The more we do the better," Boxer said.

On June 26, the House narrowly passed its version of a bill to drastically reduce U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases over the next four decades.

Senate Democratic leaders' quick timetable for writing a bill has run into two complications: the competing priority of passing healthcare legislation and dissension in Democratic ranks over the climate bill.

While Obama has made climate change legislation one of his top priorities, he also has made clear that he wants Congress to first push through healthcare reform.

Many committees in the House and Senate are struggling with the legislation to expand healthcare insurance to the 46 million Americans now without coverage.

Some of the Senate's main players on climate change, such as Senator Max Baucus, also are central to the healthcare reform debate in Congress.

"A lot of our colleagues are on the health committee. It's been difficult," Boxer said.

The second issue is that environmentalists in the Senate are faced with difficulties getting enough support to pass a bill.

Even though Democrats control 60 of the 100 seats in the Senate, there are enough moderate Democrats who might not support a climate change bill.

So several Republican votes will likely be necessary for passage, according to analysts.

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