Schedule crunch precludes codel to Bali

The combined crush of energy and global warming legislation before Congress is having one immediate impact before the bills even pass.

{mosads}Work on the measures forced Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) to cancel their congressional delegation trip (codel) to Bali for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

“Senate business has required Sen. Boxer to stay in Washington,” said a Senate staffer. Markey’s staff indicated similar issues led to his decision to stay stateside.

The Bali conference started Dec. 3 and runs through Dec. 14. The delegation had hoped to leave Thursday or Friday. But with votes predicted for the weekend and more votes on the energy bill expected in coming days, the scheduling did not work out.

The decision may also spare the Democrats some criticism regarding their travel plans. Their plans to bring a significant contingent across the Pacific Ocean reportedly would have entailed two C-40s (which is what the Army calls a Boeing 737) because of military regulations about how long pilots can fly. One would have had to fly ahead to Hawaii to carry the delegation on its second leg.

But others note that if the delegation had been criticized for burning fuel for the cause of climate change, that criticism would have been shared between the legislative and executive branches, which both intended to send personnel.

Because the lawmakers are not going, the Senate staffer said, their aides have turned to their longstanding backup plans to travel to the conference by commercial air.

“Sen. Boxer will be represented at the conference by senior committee staff,” the staffer said.