Republican members of the lead Senate committee crafting a cap-and-trade bill Tuesday boycotted the first day of a mark-up session on the legislation.
One Republican on the committee, Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio, appeared briefly at the Nov. 3 meeting of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to read a statement claiming that the legislation is being rushed, and that the bill had not been subjected to a thorough economic analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Democrats on the committee called the boycott a “ruse,” and said there was no time to delay action on tightening limits on the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the committee, vowed to press on with the process of finalizing the bill.
“We’re going to be here everyday until they join us,” Boxer said.
American Trucking Associations first vice chairwoman Barbara Windsor, president of Hahn Transportation, testified last month that cap-and-trade legislation would increase the cost of diesel fuel and that alternatives such as exempting fuel from emissions caps should be explored.
By Eric Miller
Staff Reporter
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