Kerry: 2010 is ‘last, best’ shot at climate

Kerry made the comment in a statement commemorating the 40th
celebration of Earth Day.

“We can’t afford to wait and we’ll never
have as clear a shot to reach this goal we first set out twenty years
ago,” Kerry (D-Mass.) said. “The agents of inaction can be proven wrong
again and this can be the year — our last and best shot — to find the
60 votes needed to reduce carbon pollution, and build a new energy
economy that makes good on President Obama’s Copenhagen pledge to cut
U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent by 2020.”

Kerry has been working with Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) for months to craft a climate compromise that can attract 60 votes.

The measure is expected to be released on Monday. Industry sources involved in the discussions said it will call for an overall 17 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions relative 2005 by 2020.