Obama Shifts Climate Strategy from Cap and Trade to Other Measures

On November 3, at a news conference held at the White House, President Obama acknowledged that the incoming House of Representatives likely would not pass cap and trade legislation, but he indicated that there were other options to address global warming. “I think there are a lot of Republicans that ran against the energy bill that passed in the House last year, so it’s doubtful that you could get the votes to pass that through the House this year or next year or the year after.” The President noted, “cap and trade was just one way of skinning the cat; it was not the only way. It was a means, not and end. And I’m going to be looking for other means to address this problem.” He defended the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) legal authority to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2011, saying that “the EPA is under a court order that says greenhouse gases are a pollutant that fall under their jurisdiction.” He also highlighted that solving the energy problems would not hurt the economy, but instead create new industries and jobs.

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