As the standoff between Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee over climate change legislation entered its second day Wednesday, three senators — each from different parties — announced that they plan to take steps to revive the stalled climate effort.

Sens. John Kerry (D-MA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) said they would work together to craft legislation that could clear the Senate, the Associated Press reported. The trio noted that they didn’t think their effort would undercut the legislation (S. 1733) in the Senate environment panel. The bill was written by both Kerry and Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA).

Last month Kerry and Graham outlined a framework for reaching bipartisan agreement on comprehensive climate change legislation in the Senate, which would include provisions on promoting nuclear generation and expanding oil and natural gas development (see Daily GPI, Oct. 14).

“This could be a big thing. Still it’s a long way from getting 60 votes in the Senate,” said a legislative expert with ties to the natural gas industry. Even with the efforts of Kerry, Graham and Lieberman, he doesn’t see climate change passing the Senate this year, and it may not even happen in 2010. “There’s going to have to be a major game-changer to get this through the Senate.”

He agrees a Kerry-Graham-Lieberman effort would not threaten the work currently being done in committee. “The climate bill in committee was always going to be rewritten on the Senate floor, if it gets out of committee,” he said.

He noted that the climate change legislation, which seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020, could be voted out of the Senate environment committee this week — if all Democratic members show up. No Republican members will be needed to report the bill. “That’s the precedent,” the expert noted. However, the bill cannot be amended without some Republican attendance at markup.

Republicans on the Senate environment panel are continuing their boycott of the mark-up until a more comprehensive analysis of the bill is conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, the ranking Republican on the environment panel, appeared briefly Wednesday to read a statement, which accused committee Boxer of “standing in the way” of a broader EPA analysis of the climate change bill. “I’m asking you this morning to work with us; let EPA do its analysis so we can get to a mark-up. It’s really that simple,” said Inhofe, who refused to answer any questions from Democrats.

If Boxer gives her consent, Republicans say the EPA has agreed to do full modeling of the bill to provide a “more comprehensive and accurate picture of how it would affect our nation’s economy, jobs, energy prices and…energy security.”

Boxer extended an olive branch, but it’s unlikely to appease Republicans. “I’m going to ask [EPA’s David McIntosh] to come back again [Thursday] to answer any and all questions that they [Republicans] may have, and let them rethink their stand.” McIntosh appeared before the Senate panel Tuesday to field questions about the agency’s preliminary analysis of the climate change bill, but Republicans were a no-show (see Daily GPI, Nov. 4).

“It makes no sense for them to criticize [the preliminary] EPA study, then not be here when the EPA is here to answer each and every one of their questions,” Boxer said.

She also committed to a more comprehensive EPA study “once this bill gets to the floor, [and] it stands side by side with energy and all the other ideas.” But Republican committee members want the broader analysis completed prior to moving forward with mark-up.

“We are doing everything we can. And let me say again we will follow the committee rules to a T” on mark-up, Boxer said. In his statement, Inhofe reminded Democrats that back in 2003, when they were the minority, they boycotted a committee hearing. Nevertheless “we all honored the rules of this committee and worked with the minority until we could accommodate their request. Despite [the] differences of opinion on both sides, that is how this committee has operated in the past..We only hope that you would do the same for us,” he said.

“You’re my friend…I hope you come back soon,” and “bring back a number of your colleagues,” Boxer told Inhofe. “I believe you make a good [point],” Sen Arlen Specter (D-PA) added, and said he was “prepared to back a slower process.”

But Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) countered that the stalling action by Republicans was typical. “[It’s] quite consistent with the attitude that our Republican friends have had toward climate change in the last eight years,” which is “we’re going to slow walk this process,” he said.

The Republicans are “absent without leave, [and as such] not representing their constituents,” said Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ).”We are in a crisis…We must move forward without them. If they don’t want to be in the game, then they have to step aside and let us take care of the people on our own,” he noted.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said she was “optimistic despite this walkout” because of the tradition of bipartisanship in the Senate. Yet she noted she couldn’t understand their reason for the boycott — they have a “strong preliminary” EPA analysis of the climate change bill and have been given a commitment to do a “fuller analysis.”

What “frustrates me is I have amendments that they [Republicans] would probably vote for,” but they can’t be offered, Klobuchar said. “I hope…there will be a change of heart.”

Boxer said Democrats have proposed 80 amendments to the legislation, while Republicans haven’t offered any — even though the deadline was extended.

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