Green lobby divided over cap-and-trade bill

By Fiona Harvey
Published: May 22 2009 18:48

The passage of the cap-and-trade bill through the committee stage has driven a wedge through the US environmental lobby.
Al Gore, former vice-president and the unofficial leader of US greens, led a chorus of approval for the bill: “[It] represents a crucial step forward in addressing the global climate crisis, the need for millions of new green jobs to end the recession, and the national security threats that have long been linked to our growing dependence on foreign oil and other fossil fuels.”

But while many of Washington’s green think-tanks and campaigners echoed the praise, the bill was attacked as inadequate by a coalition led by Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, which vowed to fight against it.
“The decision-making process was co-opted by oil and coal lobbyists determined to sustain our addiction to dirty fossil fuels, even as the country stands ready to rebuild our economy and clean up the environment with real clean energy,” the dozen organisations said. “[It’s] the triumph of politics over science and the triumph of industry influence over the public interest.”
They have four criticisms: the emission reduction target is too low; loopholes would allow the biggest emitters to avoid cuts until 2027; big emitters get hundreds of billions of dollars in free permits; and it removes President Barack Obama’s authority to tackle emissions through existing laws.
But Jonathan Lash, president of the World Resources Institute, urged greens to rally round: “The alternative is not a better bill – it is no bill. If the House fails, nothing will happen in the US this Congress. That means [a crucial climate change meeting in] Copenhagen fails.”
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009