Hearings On Kerry-Boxer Climate Change Bill Underway

October 29, 2009

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee conducted three days of hearings this week on S. 1733, the Kerry-Boxer Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) had planned to mark up the bill quickly, but Committee Republicans – upset that the EPA chose not to conduct a thorough analysis of the bill – have threatened to boycott the markup. In addition, Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) has raised concerns over the current draft, which may further delay committee action. Chairwoman Boxer seems to be moving toward just securing a majority of Committee votes instead of the vote of every Democrat, which she stated repeatedly in past press statements. During testimony this week, Brett Vassey, president and CEO of the Virginia Manufacturers' Association, cited figures from the NAM's analysis of the House-passed Waxman-Markey bill that predict Virginia would lose 56,400 jobs by 2030. Vassey asked the Committee to develop responsible policies that protect domestic jobs and the environment. “We can do better, and we must do better,” he said.