Senators Kerry and Inhofe are co-sponsors on an environmental bill

(along with Boxer and Carper)

Who said he was partisan!

"A remarkable news release was issued this morning from Capitol Hill. Senators as varied as John Kerry of Massachusetts and James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma — about as far apart on most environmental issues as it’s possible to be — united in introducing legislation requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to assess options for cleaning up a “dangerous pollutant” that can hurt people and warm the climate.

The pollutant is not carbon dioxide, which the Environmental Protection Agency is adding to its list of pollutants. It is carbon on its own, in the form of particles of soot, also called black carbon.

The twin hazards of this substance — as laid out in the Elisabeth Rosenthal’s inaugural story in our “By Degrees” series — are its clear and immediate impact on health and its heat-trapping effects which have made it a serious target of scientists trying to kickstart actions to limit warming, while the harder task of reining in carbon dioxide and other gases continue. Black carbon was never in the basket of substances — all gases — included in the original climate treaty in 1992 and the addendum called the Kyoto Protocol. Maybe the E.P.A. study, due in one year, will help clarify its role in the climate and in the human lungs, and identify ways to clean it up here and abroad.

Bipartisanship on environmental issues was the norm back in the 1960s and 1970s, but has largely gone by the wayside since 2000 or so (there are various theories). Just for the wow factor in seeing such an unfamiliar example today, I’m posting the full release below: "



http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/22/senate-foes-agree-on-dangerous-pollutant/

Wow, JK must have done some fast talking to get him on board.

Inhofe, who told off Al Gore in committee??

S.849
Title: A bill to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct a study on black carbon emissions.
Sponsor: Sen Carper, Thomas R. (introduced 4/22/2009) Cosponsors (3)
Latest Major Action: 4/22/2009 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. COSPONSORS(3), ALPHABETICAL : (Sort: by date)


Sen Boxer, Barbara - 4/22/2009
Sen Inhofe, James M. - 4/22/2009
Sen Kerry, John F. - 4/22/2009

I think the blog writer liked the contrast of Kerry and Inhofe. (Interesting that he used Kerry rather than Boxer. I think it is that Kerry's environmental views are better known.)

But this is good to see. Unfortunately, a lot of intelligent people don't believe in global warming, and, while I will never understand why, it's heartening to see that there are aspects of the environmental crisis that concern even the staunchest climate change deniers. It gives me some hope that there are still ways to present this information in order for it to be convincing.

because I fear there would be kneejerk attacks!

i wonder if the fact that soot is really unhealthy, in addition to the global warming features. Inofe is the ranking member of the environment committee - so maybe it was sold to him that way. (Or, if the effect is big enough, reducing something he sees need to reduce anyway is a twofer. )