Weekly Political Roundup
Posted July 16, 2010 at 11:15 am 
Filed in: As the August recess approaches, Harry Reid stands in the middle of a heated energy debate, with interests tugging at him from all sides. The hot topic in Washington this week is whether Senator Reid can keep an energy plan alive while stretching to appease the requisite 60 Senate voters.
Darren Samuelsohn described Senator Reid’s position on Tuesday in Politico, “Besides vocal opposition from nearly all Senate Republicans, he faces concerns from liberal Democrats that the legislation is too weak and strong skepticism from moderate Democrats who would rather stay away from any type of mandatory carbon limits.”
As the week continued, major players in the debate came forward with their positions. Wednesday’s Greenwire reports, “EEI — a trade group whose members represent about 70 percent of the U.S. electric power industry — has not taken a public stance on a utility-only emission cap. Senate lawmakers and the White House have met with EEI staff in recent weeks in an attempt to woo the group, whose support is seen as critical to the passage of a utility-only climate bill.”
Thursday, for the second time in two weeks, President Obama spoke at the site of an advanced vehicle manufacturing plant, where he continued his push for clean energy as a necessary element of sustainable job growth. The Washington Post reports, “ It was his fourth battery-related trip as president, and it came as the White House makes an aggressive push to tell what one senior official called “the battery story” — the tale of a small piece of technology that could affect daily life and spur employment if properly nurtured.”
Thursday also saw the announcement of an energy bill from Democratic Senators Merkley, Carper, and Udall that aims to reduce foreign oil dependence. Friday’s E&E Daily reports, “The measure would reduce U.S. oil consumption by more than 8 million barrels a day by 2030, enough to end overseas oil imports.” The Electrification Coalition published a press release praising this legislation.
The options on the table continue to grow and Friday’s Politico sums up the challenge that lies ahead for Senator Reid, “Election-year concerns, fueled by GOP labels of a “national energy tax” and public angst over expansive government, have many moderate Democrats holding tightly to the fence, unwilling to commit to the White House agenda when it comes to tackling global warming… Several swing-vote Democratic senators are concerned about the implications that a carbon cap would have on electricity prices, especially for their low-income residents.”
The debate has reached a fevered pitch, and next week, it is clear that Senator Reid must reach out to all the necessary parties.
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