Climate Bill Would Curb EPA | CommonDreams.org

But while many environmentally minded Democrats are open to compromising on controversial offshore drilling and nuclear proposals, several said they could not support a bill that would pre-empt EPA authority.

Reid to ‘Backroom’ National Energy Tax Bill - HUMAN EVENTS

I asked Matt Dempsey, Communications Director for Sen. Jim Inhofe's (R-Okla.) EPW Republicans about this new development.

“Even before Senators Kerry, Graham and Lieberman introduce their global warming cap and tax bill, they are looking for every opportunity to circumvent the Committee process,” Dempsey told HUMAN EVENTS. “Given the success of the Democrats ability to cut deals behind closed doors to pass a health care bill, expect them to use the same game plan for cap and tax legislation.”

The backroom deal process is becoming the new normal. We call this “corruption” in third word countries.

CLIMATE [SWINDLE]: Reid set to take command of cap-and-trade bill

"The biggest difference from 1990 is that the first President Bush was from a different party than George Mitchell, so it was a bipartisan arrangement among the big dogs," said [ Frank O'Donnell, head of the advocacy group Clean Air Watch], a journalist at the time. "So far, there are no Republican big dogs willing to sniff Reid's hind quarters on this issue.
...
The political landscape was also different, with Democrats on the verge then of picking up more seats in Congress in 1990 running against an opposition White House. "This time, they are expected to lose political power even if they retain House and Senate majorities," O'Donnell said. "That perception -- and the obvious fact that Reid himself is threatened -- reduces Reid's leverage."

Andrew Wheeler, former staff director to Senate Environment and Public Works Committee ranking member James Inhofe (R-Okla.), also said the upcoming election could play a role for Reid. "He is in the tightest re-election campaign of his career, and the energy priorities of Nevadans are in general not the same as the Democratic caucus," Wheeler said. "He is in a very tight spot."