Friday, May 06, 2011

Bill Richardson: Now that bin Laden is gone, institute climate legislation

Former Gov. Bill Richardson told a group of environmentalists Tuesday (May 3) in Washington DC that he hopes that the death of Osama bin Laden will prompt President Obama to institute climate change legislation for the nation. Interesting logic but Richardson is quoted by Politico as telling the Earth Day Network at a Climate Leadership Gala, “My hope is that from this success in the foreign policy arena two days ago, that he will be emboldened to take once again to the Congress legislation — not just to increase a renewable energy standard — but climate change legislation that this country and the world need.” Richardson also told the group, “We can sit back and say, ‘Well we’ll wait until the next election, wait until the political climate is better.’ You know if we do that, we’re doomed — if we don’t take action right away.” Climate change legislation — in particular, instituting a cap and trade system — has gone nowhere in Congress but Politico says Richardson suggests Obama should offer legislators two options: an economy-wide cap-and-trade program with stringent timetables over several decades and a carbon tax. And if Congress fails to do either of those, EPA must plow ahead with climate change regulations, he said...more

Richardson is still courting the enviros, just like he did during the last two years of his administration. Why? I don't know. Everything he does has a political purpose - I'm just not sure what it is in this case.

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