There's a growing divide on cap and trade on the Senate, and it
breaks down along regional more than partisan lines. Sen. Russ
Feingold (D-Wis.), a liberal skeptic of the
Waxman-Markey/Kerry-Boxer approach to federal climate change
legislation, requested an EPA analysis that has Midwestern
utilities companies crying foul. From the
New York Times:
They say the
assessment (pdf) reveals that states like California will
receive a financial windfall under a global warming bill, while
states like Wisconsin will not get enough help and will have to
spike electricity rates as a result.
"The EPA document just confirms the formula will disadvantage
Midwest states for decades to come while the coastal states
will hit a 'federal jackpot' every year over the life of the
new program," said Zachary Hill, senior manager of federal
government affairs at Alliant Energy, a Wisconsin-based
utility.
Environmental groups are sticking to their guns, rejecting the
EPA analysis as methodologically flawed and tied to provisions in
the House bill that could ultimately be changed by the Senate.
But the already perilous path to passing cap and trade has just
gotten trickier.
