by Agence France-Presse
WASHINGTON—Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Thursday that he and Democrats working on climate-change legislation would unveil a new bill in mid-April, but warned that a cap-and-trade proposal was “dead.”
“I will continue to work on producing that new product, a new way to achieve energy independence, create jobs, clean up the air, and hopefully we’ll have something for you after the Easter break,” said Graham, referring to a two-week recess that ends the week of April 12.
Graham said he was working with Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) on the bill and that they hoped to rally “the right coalition of business and environmental groups” behind it.
“We’re looking at a sectoral approach to replace the cap-and-trade system, which is dead, by the way. There will never be a cap-and-trade bill passed by the United States Senate,” Graham told reporters.
Graham said the new climate-change legislation should set a price on carbon pollution blamed for global warming and promote offshore oil drilling, the construction of new nuclear plants, and development of renewable energy sources and other “clean” technologies, while weaning the United States off oil imports.
“I will continue to work with Sens. Kerry and Lieberman to produce a new bill that has a new focus that will lead to energy independence, create the jobs that we will need to become a vibrant, viable economy in the 21st century, and a green economy, and clean up the air,” he said. “Where it goes from there, I do not know.”
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