By KEVIN DIAZ and BILL McAULIFFE, Star Tribune
Minnesota's members are getting put on the spot over energy legislation meant to slow global warming, and the debate splits on regional as well as party lines.
WASHINGTON -- It's showtime for global warming in Congress, and a number of Minnesota lawmakers are starting to feel the heat.
Congress is readying for what energy lobbyists call "the mother" of all climate debates, with a target of Memorial Day to pass major legislation in the House.
"We are at a crossroads," said Kevin Knobloch, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, one of the leading voices in the push to combat global warming by creating a "cap-and-trade" law that would slash emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

The ambitious energy legislation, one of the cornerstones of President Obama's agenda, has the potential to put a few Minnesotans in a dicey spot. Already, Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann has emerged as one of the GOP's loudest global warming skeptics, making her a lightning rod for attacks from the left. In a speech to the House last month, Bachmann called carbon dioxide a "harmless gas."
But Republicans hope to put a few Minnesota Democrats on the spot as well. Among them are Reps. Collin Peterson and Tim Walz, who represent rural districts where farmers worry about rising energy costs. There's also Iron Range stalwart Jim Oberstar, whose district's taconite mines are tied to the fortunes of heavy industry and manufacturing, particularly steel, which could be hit by new fees on carbon emissions.
In a debate that splits along regional as well as party lines, all three outstate Democrats say they are awaiting details before they commit to a cap-and-trade plan being written in the House.
"All three of them see the probability of serious economic costs in their districts, and 'all politics is local,'" said Carleton College political scientist Steven Schier. "It's pretty complex legislation, and the devil's in the details."

• Prev
• Next