#  A Wild Ride: Big News from the Clean Energy Front

*Published:* 2009-11-05
*Author:* Sharyn Stein

A lot has happened quickly in the clean energy world. Here’s a wrap-up:

- Yesterday was day two of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s markup process for the Kerry-Boxer bill. Republicans once again boycotted the proceedings, although they made a couple of cameo appearances. The markup continues today — you can see it on C-Span. And, Greenwire is now reporting that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has given EPW Chairwoman Barbara Boxer **“the green light” to move ahead without the GOP.** Reid reportedly told Boxer to advance global warming legislation on Tuesday, November 10, if Republicans have not ended their boycott by then.
- At the same time, **three strange bedfellows** — Sens. John Kerry (D-MA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) announced they would work on a “dual track” to create a climate bill that would get 60 Senate votes. Our Tony Kriendler says the three have given “[new life to a bipartisan process](http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=8998093).”
- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is making [tentative gestures of support in the general direction of a climate bill](http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200911031723DOWJONESDJONLINE000674_FORTUNE5.htm). The Chamber, which has been slammed by the media and abandoned by some of its own members since saying we need a “Scopes monkey trial” on climate science, said today that it “supports most of the principles outlined” in that Kerry-Graham-Lieberman proposal. Details are still fuzzy, but Tony Kreindler says: “We’re delighted to see the Chamber recognize that there’s a bipartisan path forward to a cap on emissions. If they support it, that would be truly a first.” Indeed, we at EDF would all be thrilled if the Chamber’s new tone were followed up with real action.
- **A new group launched** today “to support action to limit greenhouse gases and counter the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.” American Businesses for Clean Energy includes high profile companies — including some who quit the Chamber because of its stance on climate change. Members include utilities — New Jersey’s Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG), Florida’s FPL Group Inc. (FPL) and New Mexico’s PNM Resources (PNM) — as retailer Gap Inc. and Colorado ski resort operator Aspen Skiing Co. [More from the *Wall Street Journal*](http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091104-716161.html).
- And New York University School of Law’s Institute for Policy Integrity released [a new poll of 144 economists](http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/economists-concur-on-threat-of-warming). It found a whopping “94% believe the **U.S. should join climate agreements** to limit global warming,” and that “significant benefits from curbing greenhouse-gas emissions would justify the costs of action.”