The Obama administration wants a comprehensive plan to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, not one that imposes carbon reduction requirements on just some industries such as electric utilities, dpa quoted a senior White House adviser as saying today. White House climate change adviser Carol Browner told an American Council on Renewable Energy forum that the administration is seeking "an economy-wide approach" to reining in carbon dioxide emissions. She was responding to a question from her audience after a speech that mainly focused on steps the Obama administration already has taken to reduce carbon emissions and the need for domestic and international steps over the long-term. Her remarks came as nations prepare to attend the Dec. 7-18 summit in Copenhagen aimed at striking a deal of rich and poor countries on carbon dioxide reduction requirements through 2050. Negotiations on a pact are contentious and Browner said, "We"ll spend the next six to 12 months finalizing a binding international agreement." But negotiations in Congress toward a U.S. bill with binding emissions reduction targets have not been much easier, leading to speculation that if the Senate cannot pass a comprehensive climate control bill next year, it could turn to a scaled-down approach. "This week the concept of legislation to set limits only on greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector resurfaced," according to a research note by energy analyst Robert W. Baird and Co. Electric utilities account for about one-third of U.S. smokestack emissions of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.
