Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is scheduled to meet privately Wednesday evening with top administration climate aide Carol Browner. Graham is working with Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) to craft a bipartisan cap and trade bill.
He plans to discuss the ways Senate leaders can deal with manufacturing and coal state worries that the bill will spike electricity bills in the midst of a deep recession.
“We’ve got to address people’s concerns about compliance costs and rate payer increases,” he told POLITICO.
He’ll also use the meaning to address nuclear power, off-shore drilling and new coal technologies — all controversial ideas among the environmental community.
Graham expects to roll out more details of his bipartisan climate bill early next year.
“After the holidays, hopefully, we’ll start putting things together here,” said Graham.
In Copenhagen on Wednesday, Kerry said passage of the bill could happen as early as June.
Browner postponed her trip to Copenhagen to roll out green jobs and energy efficiency initiatives in Washington. She plans to fly to the Danish capital on Friday with President Barack Obama.
