Gibbs: Obama’s ‘direction’ on energy reflects Kerry plan

Obama to meet senators on energy bill next week

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama will meet key Republican and Democratic senators on June 23 to discuss a way forward for energy legislation currently stalled in the Senate, a White House aide said on Wednesday.

The meeting, which will include Republican Lindsey Graham, one of three original authors of the bill in the Senate who later dropped support for it, takes place as the president pushes for energy reform in the aftermath of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

<...>

"The president is not asking that the Congress pass another ordinary energy bill as we've done twice in the last five years, that hasn't really changed our dependence on foreign oil or on fossil fuel generally," Lieberman told reporters. "He's asking for something so big that he compared it to the mobilization for World War Two and the moonshot program."

Democratic Senators Barbara Boxer and John Kerry and Republican Senators Susan Collins and Richard Lugar will also be involved in the meeting, among others, the White House aide said.

more

Gibbs: Obama’s ‘direction’ on energy reflects Kerry plan

By Ben Geman

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Wednesday that President Barack Obama’s views on energy largely reflect the sweeping climate change and energy bill authored by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.).

“It is safe to say that the president’s direction on energy is very similar to the direction that is in the Kerry-Lieberman bill,” Gibbs said at a White House press briefing. “And the president feels strongly that including a component to deal with climate is important in comprehensive energy (legislation).”

The comment comes a day after Obama gave an Oval Office speech that called for a transition away from fossil fuels, but omitted mention of capping greenhouse gases beyond stating that climate legislation the House passed in 2009 reflects his “principles.”

The speech quickly prompted speculation that Obama is leaving himself space to accept legislation that does not include his goal of putting a price on carbon dioxide emissions. Greenhouse gas limits face resistance among many Republicans and some centrist Democrats.

more