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Sen Boxer: GHG Legislation on the Agenda

From the AP:
Sen. Barbara Boxer on Thursday promised major policy shifts on global warming, air quality and toxic-waste cleanup as she prepares to head the U.S. Senate's environmental committee.

''Time is running out, and we need to move forward on this,'' Boxer said of global warming during a conference call with reporters. ''The states are beginning to take steps, and we need to take steps as well.''

Boxer's elevation to chairwoman of the Senate Environmental Public Works Committee comes as the Democrats return to power in the Senate. It also marks a dramatic shift in ideology for the panel.

The California Democrat is one of the Senate's most liberal members and replaces one of the most conservative senators, Republican James Inhofe of Oklahoma. Inhofe had blocked bills seeking to cut the greenhouse gases contributing to global warming, calling the issue ''the greatest hoax perpetrated on the American people.''

Environmentalists were overjoyed at the change.

''That's like a tsunami hit the committee,'' said Karen Steuer, who heads government affairs at the National Environmental Trust, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. ''You can't find two members or people more ideologically different.''

Boxer said she intends to introduce legislation to curb greenhouse gases, strengthen environmental laws regarding public health and hold oversight hearings on federal plans to clean up Superfund sites across the country.
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Comments

Anonymous said…
The other day, in the wake of the midterm elections, Ruth Sponsler called attention to the radical agenda of the Republicans. Yesterday, Robert Merkel pointed out (as I have in the past) that Democratic action on GHGs will help promote nuclear power.

It is to be hoped that, in light of this week’s events, the friends of nuclear power will pay more attention to sensible and moderate opinions, like those just cited, and less to the extremist views of Senator Inhofe, the modern Republican party, and their radical right-wing brethren.
Brian Mays said…
Bert wrote:

"It is to be hoped that, in light of this week's events, the friends of nuclear power will pay more attention to sensible and moderate opinions, like those just cited, and less to the extremist views of Senator Inhofe, the modern Republican party, and their radical right-wing brethren."

Goodness knows, we wouldn't want this blog to become partisan, now would be?

I hope that I have misunderstood what you were trying to say, and that you didn't just label Barbara Boxer as a moderate. Nobody could be that out of touch with reality.

Bert also wrote:

"Robert Merkel pointed out (as I have in the past) that Democratic action on GHGs will help promote nuclear power."

If that is the only Democratic action in the energy sector, then I am hopeful that it will help nuclear power; however, I have my doubts. Their record in the past has not been good. Let's hope that they have learned something this time around.
Rod Adams said…
I am with Bert - there is no reason to be partisan when it comes to energy choices that have varying degrees of impact on the environment.

I could not care less whether it is a conservative Republican, a liberal Democrat, or a rudderless Independent who proposes good legislation that allows nuclear power to prosper.

I will cheer any of them. :-) Of course, I would not vote for them just because of a favorable position on nuclear power, but I would certainly put them in my consideration list.
Joseph Somsel said…
Ms. Boxer's first elected position was as my county supervisor in Marin County. She proposed a nuclear moratorium as a board agenda item and I organized a counter-protest of pro-nuclear people.

When it became clear that the ordinance she had drafted would ban the compasses on Marin County yachts, close down the radiology departments at the local hospitals, and stop construction on the county's roads, it was quietly diluted to an empty gesture.

She later was my representative to Congress. I remember her nodding appreciatively when a local "Solar Village" team told her they could build passive solar residences for no extra cost.

Senator Boxer has been no friend to nuclear power in the past nor has she seemed to pay much respect to non-politically correct realities with regard to energy.

However, I don't see her causing much trouble for nuclear in the future. She will try to grab attention with GHG but is not likely, IMHO, to block nuclear.

Why? There are votes in climate change but public attitudes seem to accepting of nuclear power as a necessary part of the solution. If the public attitudes remain supportive, she will go with the flow.

That's my prediction, but I'm no Michael Barone or Dick Morris.
Anonymous said…
Jeff Bingaman (D) of New Mexico is the ranking member of Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and he is allegedly a strong supporter of nuclear energy.

He is also a supporter of the smoke screen called "clean coal" (the part about carbon sequestration).
Anonymous said…
Bingaman has been a supporter. John Breaux I think was also helpful when he was in office. Reid hates Yucca Mountain so that will be a difficult roadblock. Bush will have to be smart with his picks for any positions on the NRC. Someone who is viewed as non-partisan but smart on the issues would be a good bet. I'm thinking of someone like John Marburger, or someone along those lines.
Anonymous said…
The important point about Yucca Mountain is to get the license application in. There is no legislation required to do this, just appropriations of enough money for the DOE to complete this work. With a license application docketed, the NRC review will take 3 years, and a construction license could be issued in 2011. We probably will not end up building this repository design, but the construction license will prove that the government has the legal and technical capability to dispose high level nuclear wastes. This is required for all potential fuel cycles. In parallel, we need to make progress toward identifying sites for Consolidated Fuel Treatment Centers, and get spent fuel moving to these locations, not to Yucca Mountain.

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