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A Disaster Opportunity - BP Spill and Obama's Climate Bill
Some environmentalists and liberal lawmakers believe the BP oil spill has handed President Obama a significant political opportunity to renew his stalled energy and climate bill, and are urging him to push for sweeping legislation to move the country away from reliance on oil and other fossil fuels.The climate bill that White House officials have been negotiating called for limited greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, transportation fuels and eventually factories. It included large incentives for drilling offshore, nuclear power plant construction and so-called "clean-coal" technology. It also would have required set levels of renewable electricity use nationwide. The bill included several sweeteners to minimize the cost for industry. Still, the nation's reliance on gasoline means choosing between imported oil or increased domestic production and there, the gulf spill may have an impact. All signs from Capitol Hill suggest that Obama's expanded drilling plans will find little support in light of the BP leak. Environmental groups want the administration to push for enhanced oil recovery on land, Many economists say Obama's best chance to reframe the energy debate and dramatically cut oil use could also be the least populara large gasoline tax on gasoline, with the proceeds dedicated to alternative fuel research, reducing the federal budget deficit, or even refunded to consumers Posted by: Bobby 2010-05-07 |
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