Key House Members Issue Draft CO₂ Bill

Reps. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, and Rick Boucher (D-Va.), chairman of a key energy subcommittee, last week released a draft bill cutting carbon dioxide emissions from chemical plants, refineries, power plants, and a host of other emitters. Dingell said 88% of greenhouse gas emissions would be covered by the bill, and CO₂ emissions would be cut to 80% of the 2005 levels by 2050. However, the reductions are on a slow initial trajectory: In 2020, emissions would be only 6% below 2005 levels. In a letter to committee members, Dingell and Boucher made clear their view that it is time for action, noting that some 24 state agencies are considering CO₂ limits, that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled EPA has authority to regulate CO₂, and that CO₂ is clearly due to human activity. Although the draft specifies the need for carbon caps, it does not specify exactly how a cap-and-trade system would work. Nor does it spell out how vehicle emissions would be addressed. It does, however, block states from establishing their own program to auction CO₂ emissions. The draft is likely to be a starting place next year, when a new president and Congress rejoin climate-change discussions.