Republicans boycott climate meeting
GOP senators protest chairwoman's refusal to order new analysis of legislation
Alexander C. Hart - Tribune Washington Bureau
Issue date: 11/5/09 Section: World News
But "the Republicans are trying to create paralysis through their demands for analysis," Weiss said. "It's a stalling tactic."
He argued that most of the Republicans had opposed the bill before it was introduced and said that only a few, such as Voinovich and North Carolina's Lindsey Graham, might be persuaded to support a broader bill.
Voinovich requested "just decency" and insisted his request for more analysis is "not a ruse."
But outside the United States, there is a growing frustration with a perceived American inaction on climate change legislation.
When Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said in September that climate change legislation would likely have to wait for next year, John Bruton, the European Union's ambassador to the United States, publicly expressed his displeasure.
"Is the U.S. Senate really expecting all the other countries to make a serious effort on climate change at the Copenhagen Conference (in December) in the absence of a clear commitment from the United States?" he said.
Boxer has indicated she would consider using committee and Senate rules to advance the legislation to the Senate floor if Republicans continue their boycott, but she portrayed that as a last ditch option.
"We're just going to wait until they come," she said.
He argued that most of the Republicans had opposed the bill before it was introduced and said that only a few, such as Voinovich and North Carolina's Lindsey Graham, might be persuaded to support a broader bill.
Voinovich requested "just decency" and insisted his request for more analysis is "not a ruse."
But outside the United States, there is a growing frustration with a perceived American inaction on climate change legislation.
When Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said in September that climate change legislation would likely have to wait for next year, John Bruton, the European Union's ambassador to the United States, publicly expressed his displeasure.
"Is the U.S. Senate really expecting all the other countries to make a serious effort on climate change at the Copenhagen Conference (in December) in the absence of a clear commitment from the United States?" he said.
Boxer has indicated she would consider using committee and Senate rules to advance the legislation to the Senate floor if Republicans continue their boycott, but she portrayed that as a last ditch option.
"We're just going to wait until they come," she said.
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