WASHINGTON - Barely 5 feet tall, Sen. Barbara Boxer
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stepped onto a wooden box to reach the microphone at a global warming rally. But her voice was big.
"We are putting global warming on the map," she told supporters outside the Capitol last winter. "We are saying to our friends in the world, we understand America has to step up to the plate."
Boxer, a California Democrat who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, now faces a tougher audience. She is trying to push legislation through the Senate that would cut carbon dioxide emissions by two-thirds nationwide by 2050.
Dems aim for vote this session
The warming bill was one of several major pieces of unfinished business when members of Congress adjourned for their holiday break. Senators also must resume work on a farm bill, Iraq policy and children's health care when they return today. The House reconvened last week.
The climate measure faces long odds this session - because of election year politics, opposition from industry groups and Republicans who say the bill would hurt the economy.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
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wants to hold a vote on the bill before the Senate breaks May 23 for Memorial Day recess. If it's approved, senators still would have to work out a deal with the House.
"Global warming is here," said Reid, D-Nev.
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"We as Americans have to set the example. We've got to do it."
Experts maintain that the United States, the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide, must significantly reduce its carbon footprint soon or face the severe consequences of a warmer climate.
Few style points
At times blunt, Boxer wins applause from supporters who see her as an ardent environmental advocate.
But some say Boxer's feisty style - she once questioned Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's truthfulness - makes it tough for her to work with Republicans. With a 51-49 majority in the Senate, Democrats often must work with the GOP to get to the 60-vote threshold needed to pass controversial legislation.
Boxer supports a bill that would set up a cap-and-trade system requiring U.S. companies to trade credits in order to release carbon into the atmosphere. It was introduced by Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and John Warner, R-Va.
The United States, which has the world's largest coal reserves, gets nearly half of its electricity from coal-fired plants that spew carbon.
Luke Popovich, spokesman for the National Mining Association, says the bill would increase energy costs and not make a dent in climate change: "It's called global warming. It's not American warming."
Even if the Senate fails to act on the bill this year, Boxer says she'll keep the pressure on, saying she stands to gain support for it after the November elections. Democrats are expected to gain seats.
"This is an issue the American people care about," she said. "Anyone who stands in the way will be held responsible."
ILLUSTRATION: Chart Gannett News Service;PhotoDetroit Free Press
