The decision of President Barack Obama to boost oil drilling off the coasts of the United States is a small step towards trying to get support of controversial legislation to combat global warming, experts say. But whether in the current toxic political climate, the move will help persuade reluctant Republicans and Democrats remains to be seen.
“He will never hurt, but if that is enough to begin to attract Republican support is needed to overcome the obstruction is in doubt again, says political analyst Thomas Mann of the Brookings Institution.
The initiatives taken by Obama and his Democratic allies to ram its historic reform health care by Congress last month raised hackles Republican, has led some to warn that the end of any cooperation between the driveway.
European leaders in particular are looking to the United States, one of the biggest polluters of the planet, to take the lead on reducing greenhouse gas emissions responsible for harmful climate change.
But Obama’s plan to establish a cap-and-trade, inspired by a European Union mechanism for limiting greenhouse gas emissions by manufacturers, is now dead in the water.
At a UN climate summit in Copenhagen in December led Obama has renewed its offer to reduce carbon emissions from U.S. 17 per cent below 2005 levels by 2020 – unless the EU offers, but as far as the political climate in America will.
Mann argued that the initiative for offshore drilling, more than eight billion dollars in loan guarantees announced in February to build the first U.S. nuclear plant in 30 years, were part of moves to get Republicans on board new legislation climate.
“We’ll just see how it plays, but the odds are still heavily cons get this done this year. But he shows he is ready to make an effort, “says Mann.
“It also seems likely that they are really to distance themselves from the concept of cap and trade and are looking for other options for controlling carbon and carbon pricing.”
see expanded oil drilling sectors of the Atlantic off the coast of Virginia is open for exploration and stimulate prospecting leases in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida. He came under fire from environmentalists.
But Michael Levi, Council on Foreign Relations, said he did not see the move giving a huge boost to climate legislation, “if it can help protect against accusations that pursuing a balanced energy policy “.
“The big question is whether vulnerable Democrats want to take anything hard this year and if the Republicans are interested in any cooperation,” he said.
If or when a bill should reach the floor of Congress is an enigma, even if Obama makes a key point in his 2008 campaign for the White House.
“The political climate is very hard and popularity of the president has not moved in a sensitive manner, because the health care legislation passed. It is difficult to know where things are,” said Levi.
In June, the House of Representatives passed a bill aimed at reducing emissions of greenhouse gases through a so-called cap and trade, which would limit emissions of greenhouse gases for manufacturers and allow companies to trade the right to pollute to other companies.
The program would have also forced the big polluters to buy credits from companies that pollute less, create financial incentives to fight against global warming.
But he was strongly criticized by Republicans who feared it would impact cost on U.S. industry.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said last month that he was now working with Democratic Senator John Kerry and independent Senator Joe Lieberman in drafting a new bill to the Senate after the Easter holidays.
The trio hopes to join the “coalition of law firms and environmental groups” behind it, “he said.
“We are looking for a sectoral approach to replace the cap and trade, which is death, by the way. There will never be a bill to cap and trade adopted by the United States Senate. ”
But Frank Maisano, an energy specialist at the law firm Bracewell & Giuliani, is doubtful when asked if a climate bill will be voted on in the coming months.
“It’s a big question mark,” he told AFP. “They have not yet law, they are not native to the level of detail that’s where people start to make decisions.
“I think people are holding their fire the Republicans and Democrats, two environmentalists and industry. Everyone is waiting to see what comes out before starting to evaluate and make calls, “he added.
source:AFP
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