Waxman-Markey go beyond Obama on climate bill – about time

The bill proposed by Rep. Henry Waxman, chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, appears to have some teeth. It would lower emissions faster, and a have a higher renewable energy standard, than what President Barack Obama has proposed.

Even if this isn’t the final answer, Waxman and Rep. Ed Markey, chair of the Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment, are pushing Obama from the left, just as is needed.

Unfortunately, Rep. Rick Boucher, chair of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, has inserted some clean coal provisions in the Waxman bill.

But the three are in unison for public consumption; in their letter to the White House laying out the case for their bill, they even got dinosaur John Dingell to sign off with them.

And, with folks like Greenpeace ready to push further from the left, maybe something will get passed.

On the other hand, it doesn’t look like this can get through the Senate via budget reconciliation. Even if it had a chance, I think Team Obama wants to reserve a slot for that for healthcare.

My guess is that, on alt energy and carbon, we end up with something about halfway between where we’re at now and the Obama bill, with more Christmas trees of the Boucher type for clean somewhat less dirty coal.