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What's Being Done in Congress

The U.S. Congress plays a key role in determining how the United States responds to the challenge of global climate change.  Legislation, enacted by Congress, will be necessary to reduce U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases substantially.  International climate change agreements must be ratified by the U.S. Senate for the United States to be a party, giving the Senate major influence over the U.S. negotiating position.  The budgets of all federal agencies, which include funding for programs to curb U.S. emissions, are established in the agencies’ annual spending (or “appropriations”) bills, enacted by Congress.  Congress conducts hearings that focus attention on global climate change and shape the national debate over how best to address it.  With climate change, as with other issues, congressional action can differ significantly from that proffered by the U.S. President. 

As the scientific evidence of climate change has mounted, so has congressional activity.  The number of climate change-related legislative proposals increased from seven introduced in the 105^th Congress (1997-1998) to 25 in the 106^th Congress (1999-2000), to over 80 in the 107^th Congress (2001-2002).  Forty-five such legislative proposals have been introduced to date in the 108^th Congress (2003-2004).

Climate change measures are increasingly being offered by members of both the Democratic and Republican Parties (to which all but a few members of Congress belong).  Senators Joseph I. Lieberman (D-CT) and John McCain (R-AZ) introduced a bill in January 2003 setting a national cap on greenhouse gas emissions and allowing companies to buy and sell emission credits.  The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in May 2003, passed without objection a provision calling for U.S. engagement in the development of a binding international climate change treaty.  The energy policy bill overwhelmingly passed by the Senate in July 2003 included provisions that would establish a national climate change strategy and a national greenhouse gas inventory, and several bipartisan provisions increasing the efficiency of products and technologies. 

U.S. Representatives Wayne Gilchrest (R–MD) and John W. Olver (D–MA) introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives on March 30, 2004 to cap U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, while providing for market-based trading of emission allowances.  The Gilchrest-Olver Climate Stewardship Act is the House companion of the bill introduced in the Senate in 2003 by Senators Lieberman and McCain.  Like the Lieberman-McCain bill, the Gilchrest-Olver bill would, by 2010, cap the aggregate emissions of the electricity generation, transportation, industrial, and commercial economic sectors at the 2000 level. 

Addressing the challenge of climate change will ultimately require enactment of a comprehensive set of approaches, such as these and more, and will no doubt be a long-term proposition.

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