According to Carol Browner, climate and energy coordinator in White House, President of the United States Barack Obama will most probably not sign the climate change law before the COP15 meeting in Copenhagen in December this year. It is because the law is unlikely to be voted within the US Senate before the climate change summit.

At the end of September senators from Democratic party John Kerry and Barbara Boxer presented a draft law which is a respond to the draft law published by House of Representatives in June this year. Currently the draft law needs 60 votes of senators to be approved.

The new draft law proposes more ambitious reduction target for GHG emissions – which now accounts for 20% by 2020 below the 2005 levels. In addition, by 2050 the emissions should be lower by 83%. The second target is in accordance with the one presented earlier by House of Representatives. However the mid-term goal is slightly higher as in Henry Waxman and Edward Markley project it accounted to 17%. Prelimnary Barack Obama suggested a target of 14%.

Even if the law will be approved by Senate it would need a coherent and common text agreed both by Senate and House of Representative within a special commission.

Looking at the legislative procedure there are low chances that Barack Obama will sign the law before the COP15 in Copenhagen.

Regards,
Anthony