Climate Change Update: Some good news - maybe?

Russ Steele

Reuters is reporting on Green Tech:

The White House has dropped projected revenue from a "cap-and-trade" mechanism to fight climate change from its new budget, an administration official said, bowing to the possibility that the Congress may not pass it.

Last year, the Obama administration forecast revenue of $646 billion in the years 2012-2019 from an emissions trading program that formed the crux of its proposal to fight global warming.

The legislation that contains that proposal is now stalled in the Senate, and cap-and-trade--which sets limits on greenhouse gas emissions and allows companies to trade permits to pollute--may be cut from a final bill if one is passed.

More nuclear power reported in the USA Today's Green House:

President Obama, who called for a "new generation" of nuclear power plants in his State of the Union address Wednesday, is quickly moving forward. He created a panel Friday to recommend ways to dispose of used nuclear fuel and is expected Monday to propose tripling loan guarantees for new plant construction.

Obama's pitch to expand U.S. nuclear power is seen by some members of Congress and analysts as an effort to win GOP support for his legislation  to reduce  greenhouse gas emissions, passed by the House of Representatives last year but pending in the Senate.

"Nuclear energy has long been the drumbeat for Republican lawmakers on how to reduce greenhouse gases," Josh Margolis, an executive at CantorCO2e, a carbon broker, told Reuters. "This should help win votes from those lawmakers who doubted the sincerity of those who advocated for climate change goals."

Has some reason finally come to the climate change issue? Stay tuned, this may just be a strategy to get the need Republican votes for cap-and-trade legislation and then once the cap-and-trade bill is passed Obama could cave to the environmentalist and kill the program.

We have nuclear powered Navy, why not a nuclear powered nation?  Your thoughts?