The following highlights punctuated the debate on the bill:

• On June 2, 74 Senators voted to proceed to debate the merits of the $6.6 trillion bill. Opponents focused on the economic impact on consumers. On June 6, only 48 Senators voted to end debate and move forward. 
• In the House, Reps. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) introduced the “Climate Market, Auction, Trust & Trade Emissions Reduction System Act,” or the “Climate MATTERS Act” (H.R. 6316). The bill, which attracted 79 co-sponsors, calls for an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels by 2050.  Initially, 85 percent of emission allowances would be auctioned; by 2020, all allowances would have to be purchased at auction. The House Ways and Means Committee is planning to hold a hearing on the bill before the August recess.
• The House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality also held two hearings on climate change. The first focused on an overview and discussion of the five most recently-introduced climate change bills, and the second focused on the “costs of inaction.”  While no climate change legislation has come out of the House Energy & Commerce Committee to date, Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) last week said, “We are going to move forward as fast as we can in drafting cap-and-trade legislation.”

For more information, contact Alicia Oman, AFS Washington Office, at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 202-842-4864.