Operation: Climate Vote

Ten Senators to Watch on Global Warming

The Senate is Poised to Vote on Landmark Global Warming Legislation. Here are Ten Senators to Watch.

Posted: 29-Apr-2008; Updated: 09-May-2008

Ten Senators to Watch on Global Warming

The Senate is scheduled to debate and vote on landmark global warming legislation during the first week of June.

Will the Senate seize this historic opportunity and begin to solve the global warming crisis?

These ten Senators reflect the debate that's playing out right now.

Some are swing votes. Others are leaders whose management skills will be put to the test.

Their work with Senate colleagues over the next month could make the difference in our efforts to pass meaningful global warming legislation this year.

Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) – Has introduced legislation in the past that would limit global warming pollution from power plants; as a member of the Senate Republican leadership the question will be - does he help the Republican caucus move to a more responsible position?

Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) – A moderate Democrat with good environmental ratings from the League of Conservation Voters; represents state with one of the largest per-capita manufacturing industries in the country; he will look to balance economic and manufacturing interests in the bill.

Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) – Chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee; has his own competing global warming legislation with Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA); is looked to by many moderate Democrats, particularly those with coal mining interests, as a leader on issue.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) – Senior Senator from South Carolina, a state vulnerable to hurricanes and coastal flooding; is one of Senator John McCain's strongest allies in the Senate; supports nuclear power and will try to boost support for nuclear energy in the bill.

Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) – Freshman Senator from a state that is a traditional political bellwether for the country; has said that global warming is a serious threat and has promoted investments in alternative energy; her senior Senator, Kit Bond, is one of the Senate leading opponents against action to reduce global warming emissions; will look for ways to best balance her state's rural and low-income interests in the bill.

Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) – As Senate Majority Leader, he has scheduled floor time in early June to debate the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act; his leadership will be critical in bridging the differences between members.

Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) – First-term Senator from a state vulnerable to droughts and wildfires that could be made far worse by global warming; Colorado has abundant solar and wind energy resources, but also large coal and other fossil fuel reserves; Salazar has praised Colorado Governor Bill Ritter's Climate Action Plan, which adopts aggressive greenhouse reduction goals; will be looking at various technology incentives and opportunities for agriculture in the bill to make sure that they work for Colorado.

Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) – Second-term Senator from a state renowned for its natural beauty and diverse geography; Oregon is part of the Western Climate Initiative to establish a regional approach to reducing global warming pollution; he continues to question the science behind global warming. Will he decide to represent the citizens of his state and join the call for real action?

Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) – Fifth-term moderate Republican Senator from a political swing state with manufacturing and coal interests; has his own global warming legislation with Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM); if Senator Bingaman and Senator Specter will both work with constructively with Senators Lieberman and Warner on key areas of interest, it will send a strong signal to other undecided votes.

Senator John Sununu (R-NH) – First-term Senator from a state with big outdoor recreation and skiing industries that could be vulnerable to global warming; in 2005, New Hampshire joined the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative of nine Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states to limit global warming pollution; while Senator Sununu has supported a bill that would limit emissions from powerplants, he voted no on a comprehensive cap-and-trade bill in 2003; despite strong support for addressing climate change in the state, he has yet to endorse the Climate Security Act.

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