Senate defeats move to cap climate gases

updated 2:30 a.m. ET June 23, 2005

WASHINGTON - The Senate soundly defeated a proposal Wednesday for mandatory reductions in heat-trapping pollution that may be warming the Earth. Supporters managed to get five fewer votes than they did two years ago.

The proposal to cap greenhouse gases at 2000 levels, within five years, lost by a 60-38 vote. It was a victory for President Bush's policies that focus on voluntary actions by industry to address the problem.

Separately, the Senate agreed to give Washington clear authority to override states' objections to the location of liquefied natural gas terminals.

Senators rejected, by 52-45, an amendment to a broad energy bill that would have allowed governors to veto a federal permit for such a terminal because of state concerns about safety or environmental harm.

Proponents said deciding where to put these facilities was a federal matter because imports will help meet a growing demand for natural gas and perhaps lower prices. But opponents of the idea said states should have a greater say because of concerns about possible tanker spills and terrorism.

"We're not talking about the siting of a neighborhood ballpark or a Wal-Mart," said GOP Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, which has rejected several LNG projects. "It's a states' rights issue, plain and simple."

Heated debate about the climate
The debate about the climate was seen by some as a barometer of congressional support for Bush's strategy. His approach has come under criticism from environmentalists and some European leaders who say it does not adequately address one of the most pressing environmental issues.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., urged his colleagues to support the measure he sponsored with Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., though he realized the long odds.

"I can take the temperature" of the Senate, McCain said.

On Tuesday, senators had approved modest proposals that would require no cuts in emissions but would increase support for new, clean-energy and carbon-capturing technologies.

‘Climate change is real’
"The evidence is now compelling, overwhelming. The world knows that climate change is real," McCain said. "Those who have debunked this and continue to debunk it will have somebody to answer to in not too many years from now."

The approach approved on Tuesday was "meaningless" and "a fig leaf," he said, to hide the fact that the U.S. is doing little to reduce this kind of pollution. Many scientists believe it is trapping heat in the atmosphere and causing the Earth to warm.

MORE FROM POLITICS

Politics Section Front

Senate Dems seek to seal health care overhaul NYT analysis: Obama accepts ‘pyrrhic victories’ U.S. faces hard reality with Pakistan   Obama plan could limit secret documents U.S. sends 12 detainees to home nations Abortion language is latest health hurdle Senate passes critical Pentagon budget bill Potential Reid opponent has deep pockets Analysis: Obama takes pragmatic climate path Pa. assembly corruption probe nears critical phase Politics Section Front   Add Politics headlines to your news reader: