Senate Democrats want climate bill to protect manufacturing

Ten Senate Democrats whose votes are pivotal to the success of climate legislation urged the Obama administration on Thursday [Aug. 6] to support levying tariffs on goods from countries that don't limit their greenhouse-gas emissions.

President Barack Obama has resisted the idea, saying it would send "protectionist signals" to the world.

In a letter to Obama, the lawmakers said it was critical to include a "border mechanism" in climate legislation to ensure it would be "trade neutral and environmentally effective." They also warned that it would be "extremely difficult" to support a bill that didn't "deal with these important issues."

In response to the senators' letter, a White House spokesman said in a statement that the president "believes that the most effective approach to maintaining a level playing field is to negotiate a new international climate change agreement that ensures that all the major polluters take significant actions to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions," according to an Aug. 6 article in The Wall Street Journal.

Read a Glass Magazine article on the climate bill.