GOP seeking a single voice on climate issue

Senate Republicans began an unusual closed-door debate on climate change Wednesday that may portend a shift toward the position of the party’s presumptive presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.).

The meeting of the conference launched GOP efforts to find a common position on global warming, an issue on which Republicans have been sharply divided.

{mosads}The issue has taken on a greater urgency within Republican circles now that all the major presidential candidates, including McCain, support mandatory controls of greenhouse gases. This represents a sharp break with the Bush administration, which has fought such proposals vigorously.

Wednesday’s meeting did not produce a consensus and may have ultimately helped solidify GOP opposition to the leading proposal on climate change. Still, several Republican senators said it marked a shift in the debate.

Instead of arguing over the science underpinning global warming, the meeting focused almost exclusively on the impact a mandatory system to control greenhouse gases would have on the economy and the environment.

“We’re beyond that,” said Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), who does not yet support caps on emissions. “I think now it’s time for serious thinking as to what works.”

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), who famously dubbed human-induced global warming a “hoax,” said the argument against climate controls is easier when focused on the economic costs instead of science. He also said he didn’t have enough time to rail against the science at Wednesday’s meeting.

“If you open up [the debate over the science], you can go on for hours,” Inhofe said.

Sen. Mel Martinez (R), whose state of Florida could potentially be affected by rising ocean levels, said he was “very delighted” Inhofe didn’t bring up the science debate, but said he has not yet given his support to emissions controls.

“I believe we need to act,” Martinez said.

The Senate is expected in June to bring up a bill that would impose mandatory, economy-wide restrictions on greenhouse gases. The bill, drafted by Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and John Warner (R-Va.), would establish a so-called cap-and-trade system that would allow industries to purchase credits for the right to continue emitting carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases above allowable levels.

But support for the Lieberman-Warner measure remains lukewarm within the GOP conference because of concerns of its impact on fuel prices and the economy. Republican opposition will make it difficult for the bill to win the necessary 60 votes on the floor to secure final passage.

Still, the prospects that the bill will hit the floor in the heat of a campaign season means the next Congress will almost certainly be forced to deal with the issue, increasing the need for the Senate Republican Conference to reach a consensus.

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Republican Conference, said Wednesday’s meetings were the start of talks aimed at eventually developing coalitions that could support proposals to curb greenhouse gases.

“We need to take climate change and clean air on as an urgent issue,” said Alexander, who added that about two dozen Republicans had ideas on how to handle the issue. Alexander, who said the meeting had been planned for about three months, has authored legislation aimed at controlling emissions from power plants, but has been skeptical of an economy-wide approach.

Republicans said they wanted to counter the impression that the Republican Party does not worry about a warming planet.

“It’s a significant issue, that’s why we’re talking about it,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

“We’re trying to find common ground, and it’s hard to do,” said Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), who has drafted a compromise cap-and-trade bill with Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.).

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (Texas), who chairs the Republican Policy Committee, said there will eventually be consensus on some of the issues presented at the meeting.

“We need to do positive things, and we just need to do them in a responsible way,” she said.

The 20 or so senators who spoke at Wednesday’s meeting presented a variety of points of view, and some touched on polling data that suggest Americans are concerned about rising energy costs, according to GOP senators.

That was the conclusion of a March poll commissioned by The Institute for Energy Research, a nonprofit that receives financial support from energy companies and other groups. It concluded Americans are divided on the science, but said that the public is concerned about the impact rising energy costs would have on the environment.

“Voters are much more skeptical about the science than we had previously assumed, so it naturally follows that most are also unwilling to accept the costs and job losses associated with cap-and-trade legislation,” said Thomas Pyle, president of the institute. “In short, the matter is far from settled in the eyes of the public.”

Supporters of the Warner-Lieberman plan dispute that conclusion, pointing to an analysis conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency suggesting that the plan’s benefits would outweigh the costs. The presidential candidates argue new controls would spur job growth in new industries focused on developing technologies to slash emissions.