Jeff Bingaman: “the third challenge we face in making progress on this issue is getting political consensus on the right levels of…”

“the third challenge we face in making progress on this issue is getting political consensus on the right levels of control. Here I am talking about the level of stringency and the aggressiveness of the program. There have already been a number of bills introduced this year. I commend all my colleagues who dedicated their time and effort to addressing this issue. First and foremost, of course, Senators Lieberman and McCain have reintroduced their legislation. These two Senators have been leaders on the issue from the beginning. Also, Senators Sanders and Boxer have reintroduced legislation that Senator Jeffords drafted last year, and I commend them for their leadership and their bold vision. As chairs of the two committees engage in the debate on global warming issues, I plan to work very closely with Senator Boxer to ensure that everything we do will keep momentum on global warming legislation moving forward. I also commend Senators Feinstein and Carper for working together to introduce legislation last week. Senator Feinstein was on our Energy Committee. She is not on that committee in this Congress, and she will be missed. But her leadership in this area is very important. I also would like to acknowledge and congratulate the efforts of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership. This is a unique and diverse group of industry and NGOs that have come together to offer principles on global warming legislation and recommendations for that legislation.”