California Construction Trucking Association (CCTA)

San Francisco Chronicle Editorial --  July 26, 2010

There is plenty of blame to share for the political demise of climate change legislation in Washington. Timid Democrats, obstinate Republicans, a risk-averse White House and a sour public outlook that green groups couldn't counter. Each played a role.

Following a health care fight, a $1 trillion stimulus package and new financial regulations, there was neither the will nor patience for another major showdown. The doomed plan was built on the much-mocked cap and trade approach that set limits on carbon emissions (think mainly coal-fired power plants) and allowed polluters to buy and sell credits to stay within the caps.

The House approved a significant plan last year and gave way to the Senate, which softened the plan and then gave up. "We know we don't have the votes," said the Senate's top Democrat, Harry Reid of Nevada, who called off the fight.

How did it happen, especially when the huge gulf oil spill became a poster-child for environmental destruction? The causes are many.

Republicans opposed the plan from the start, meaning a likely GOP filibuster required a 60-vote margin to win. Majority Democrats in the Senate weren't united, with southern and coal-state members cool to the controls. President Obama, largely AWOL in the fight, didn't speak up in the final innings, though his run for the White House was partly built on environmental appeals.

The result is an undeniable defeat in stemming climate change in this country. It echoes overseas also with other countries wondering about American resolve on a global issue. The high-wire deal struck in a climate change conference last year in Copenhagen to reduce emissions by 17 percent by 2020 looks very far away.

But the wreckage isn't complete. California will face a challenge to its AB32 law cutting greenhouse emissions on the ballot in November. Also, GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman wants to hit the pause button on the law if elected. Keeping this law on the books becomes a higher priority than ever.

The Obama administration may also take an extra step in the battle by using existing federal laws to crack down on carbon emissions, a regulatory showdown it wanted to avoid with the legislative package that's now dead. Whether it has the will to do so, after the Senate defeat, remains in doubt.

There are other options that will test this country's ingenuity and seriousness on the topic. Green tech research must continue, a particular strength for California. A relatively mild Senate bill calling for more efficient appliances and wider use of natural gas in the nation's trucking fleet is taking shape. Federal rules requiring higher mileage in cars and small trucks can make a difference.

Each is a serious step. But none would match what the Senate just passed up: a national policy to greatly reduce the human contribution to climate change.