California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger praised a U.S. Senate committee Wednesday for proposing an energy bill amendment that he thinks is modeled after his state’s low-carbon fuel standard. Schwarzenegger has been championing the idea of a national low carbon standard for the past two years, seeking political help on Capitol Hill and in various state capitals.

“I applaud today’s action by the [Senate] Environment and Public Works Committee in adopting an amendment to establish a national version of California’s groundbreaking low carbon fuels standard,” Schwarzenegger said Wednesday. As attached to the proposed Lieberman-Warner bill, the amendment could “dramatically increase low carbon fuels, expand consumer choice and reward innovation,” he said.

Schwarzenegger’s Sacramento office said the governor’s staff has been working with Capitol Hill staffers for Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), the amendment author, for the past few months, shaping the national policy debate and this proposed amendment.

Schwarzenegger said the amendment picked up three additional sponsors in committee — Sens. John Warner (R-VA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and Barbara Boxer (D-CA).

In January Schwarzenegger made a promotional push on “the world’s first low carbon fuel standard” for transportation fuels, requiring fuel providers to reduce the carbon levels in transportation fuels sold in California. “The first of-its kind standard firmly establishes sustainable demand for lower-carbon fuels but without favoring one fuel over another,” Schwarzenegger said.

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