Sandy could spur action on warming in next Congress -- Reid
Eugene Mulero, E&E reporterPublished: Wednesday, November 7, 2012
With Democrats strengthening their control of the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid said today the chamber could consider climate change legislation next session, adding that Superstorm Sandy helped make a case for action.
"Climate change is an extremely important issue for me, and I hope we can address it, reasonably," the Nevada Democrat said. "It's something, as we've seen with these storms, overwhelming our country and the world. We need to do something about it."
Environmentalists argue that Sandy's impact on the New York and New Jersey coastlines has revived the climate debate. President Obama, during his re-election speech early this morning, called on lawmakers to once again tackle the issue.
"We want our children to live in an America that isn't burdened by debt, that isn't weakened by inequality, that isn't threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet," Obama said, when it was clear he had beaten Republican Mitt Romney in yesterday's presidential contest.
Reid would not say when such a bill would be considered. The upcoming lame-duck session would certainly not offer enough time (about five weeks) to debate a climate measure.
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