Earth Protect Blog

 AUGUSTA -- U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins both expressed disappointment with the recent decision by Senate Democratic leadership to set aside plans for comprehensive climate change legislation.

The Maine Republicans each had showed support for limited or modified plans to cap and tax certain carbon emissions, despite nearly unified opposition by the rest of their party.

Snowe had recently said she would consider supporting such a tax applied only to utility plants; Collins drafted legislation last year that would have applied a carbon tax on a wider range of carbon dioxide emissions, then rebated 75 percent of that money to taxpayers.

"As I have long called for, I believe we should have integrated our nation's economic well-being as a top priority along with the reduction of carbon emissions," Snowe said in a statement Friday.

Snowe said she personally recommended to President Barack Obama that Maine's Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative be applied to the rest of the country.

"It is regrettable that this sensible and practical concept was not endorsed earlier by the administration and Democratic leadership, and I will continue to work toward common-sense legislation that avoids costly requirements that do little to reduce carbon emissions," she said.

Collins said it was regrettable that Democratic leadership failed to negotiate with Republicans while drafting their initial comprehensive climate proposal.

"I am disappointed that (Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid) once again has chosen to bypass the committee process and draft a bill behind closed doors without Republican participation," she said in a statement Friday. "(U.S.) Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and I introduced our bipartisan clean energy legislation last December. I believe our bill positions the U.S. to be a leader in renewable energy and energy conservation technologies and would prompt the creation of new 'green energy' jobs. It appears, however, that Sen. Reid has decided to go in a different direction."

Meanwhile, Snowe and Collins recently were named the two of the "greenest" Senate Republicans in a scorecard from the group Republicans for Environmental Protection.

The duo also was recognized Friday by the Natural Resources Council of Maine, which isssued a statement saying Maine's U.S. senators "have demonstrated leadership and are committed to the issues of clean energy and climate."

"But we need more from all of our leaders in Washington," said the statement from Lisa Pohlmann, deputy director of the Council. "Maine senators have led their party by showing support for a climate-and-energy bill. They need to do more, and they need partners across the aisle to do more, too.