Meanwhile, two shifts were seen in the Washington political landscape: Pennsylvania Republican Senator Arlen Specter, who was instrumental in passing Obama’s budget bail out and green new deal, defected to the Democratic Party; and the media is rife with reports that Supreme Court Justice David Souter, who has traditionally sided with environmental causes, will step down, giving Obama the opportunity to put his stamp on the court with a new nominee.

Republican senators are in the meantime clamoring for subsidies to the US nuclear industry.

Major economies discuss climate change in Washington DC
In a process that was initiated by the Bush Administration, the Obama Administration hosted representatives of the world’s 17 largest economies to discuss climate change. The Administration proposed cutting US greenhouse gas emissions by 14 percent over the next decade. Other countries at the meeting wanted the United States to act more aggressively, but US leaders have repeatedly said that taking ambitious midterm targets could be politically suicidal.

But some European negotiators believe that the US can be moved. Karl Falkenberg, Director General of the European Commission’s environment directorate said of the US target: “I don’t think that the doors are closed. The position of all members are not final.” Brice Lalonde, France’s climate change ambassador to the United Nations pointed to the House Democrats’ climate bill now being discussed in Congress, which proposes slightly more aggressive targets than the White House. Karsten Sach, Germany’s lead climate negotiator said, “there were a lot of pleas to the US to think again whether it could upgrade” its goals during the Major Economies Forum.

Completing domestic legislation is widely seen as something essential before the US can meaningfully participate in the international climate negotiations. David Hawkins, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s climate center said it would be “implausible” for American negotiators to go to Copenhagen and sign up for targets more stringent than those that could be approved by Congress. The Chinese delegate, Hongjun Zhang, said the US goals are “not sufficient.” He noted that China had a long list of energy efficiency initiatives, from reducing China’s energy intensity 20 percent by 2010 to investing $17 billion in renewable energy. He said China was looking to do more as long as industrialized countries like the United States make deep emissions cuts.

House Committees continue to debate climate change legislation
The House Energy and Commerce Committee have postponed plans to vote on the first stages of its energy and climate bill to allow more time for negotiations. Democrats were in closed-door talks all last week on the draft bill that would establish a cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gases and also promote renewable energy production.

But they have said little about when this process will be completed. “This will take just take as long as it takes,” said Congressman Rick Boucher (D-Virginia), a lead negotiator in the committee. Nearly all the Republicans on the committee oppose the cap-and-trade proposals. Republicans see political advantage in the climate change debate, especially for vulnerable Democrats who represent districts with a heavy industrial base. Some Republicans would like to see a climate bill focusing on emission standards for new power plants. Others are focusing on efforts to jump-start new nuclear power plant construction (see below).

Republican Senator Specter switches to Democrats
Senator Arlen Specter’s switch from Republican to Democrat shocked Washington, but it appears unlikely to significantly alter the prospects for President Obama’s energy and climate change agenda. Senate Democrats were very happy that Specter’s move brings them to 59 votes in the Senate, one short of the 60 votes needed to clear procedural hurdles. But Democratic leaders were cautious saying that they would still need to compromise in order to get the necessary votes on much major legislation.

As a Republican who supported legislation on cap-and-trade, Specter was out of step with his party. “Needless to say, as a Republican facing a tough primary challenge from the right, he was a lost vote on global warming legislation,” Joe Romm, of the Center for American Progress, wrote in his blog. “One assumes that if he going to seriously run as a Democrat, he’ll support an energy and climate bill.” Senator Specter, from coal producing Pennsylvania, has been trying to negotiate climate change legislation that will protect the interests of the steel and coal industries.

US Industry group claims carbon cap would cost jobs
According to a report released by the US Chamber of Commerce and other business groups, capping US greenhouse gas emissions would raise energy prices, shrink the economy and reduce household buying power. It concludes that by 2030, net US job losses would rise to 3.2 million, while household purchasing power would shrink by more than $2,100. The Chamber’s Executive Vice-president for government affairs, Bruce Josten, said “cap-and-trade will impose new and higher costs on business users of energy and on consumers.”

The report’s job figures assume established sectors such as coal mining and oil refining would lose jobs while emerging sectors such as renewable energy engineering and biofuels production would gain jobs. Josh Dorner, a spokesman for the Sierra Club, dismissed the report as an industry “scare tactic” to defeat climate change legislation.

Retirement of Supreme Court Justice David Souter is anticipated. What are the implications?
Just about every newspaper and TV channel is reporting the anticipated retirement of Supreme Court Justice David Souter. Supreme court justices are appointed for life, so the chance to replace one of the nine slots comes along rarely. If Souter does indeed retire, President Obama will have an opportunity to nominate a replacement. This would be the first Supreme Court Justice to be appointed by a Democrat in 15 years. As a result, groups on the left, including environmental groups, are gearing up to make what they consider to be the best selection.

In his time on the court, Souter has mostly sided with environmentalists on various issues; most recently, he was on the side of the majority in the court’s recent decision to force the EPA to regulate carbon dioxide emissions. President Obama is widely expected to pick a woman to replace Souter, as the Court currently has only one female justice, Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

Republican senators call for nuclear power subsidies
In a recent seminar at the Reform Institute, Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) called for a “balanced” energy policy that includes nuclear energy, offshore drilling, and a cap-and-trade system. President Obama’s budget called for using the majority of the predicted $650 billion revenue from cap-and-trade auction between 2012 and 2019 to pay for proposed middle class tax cuts.

McCain called this approach “irresponsible, ill-conceived and distorted.” But McCain also recommended that the United States look toward Europe as an example of successful use of nuclear power in a “secure and efficient “ way. While wind and solar power should be part of America’s energy solution, McCain said, he stressed that nuclear energy and clean coal were essential to US economic and environmental progress.

“Nuclear power is at the heart of clean energy power in the United States of America,” he said. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is already hard at work drafting legislation to bring forward later this year. Whatever emerges from that process will then face scrutiny in various committees. As ever, energy legislation will depend on compromise between various competing factions. Tackling climate change and ensuring adequate supplies of energy will be the top priorities for Capitol Hill. The trick will be to get enough votes to pass the legislation later in the year.

Jonathan Temple is the Director of Bellona USA.