This is a big one. Sanders No. 4 would make the goal of the bill to reduce emissions by 80 (as opposed to about 70) percent by 2050. As the bill is written, the reductions in Lieberman-Warner (under the cap, and otherwise) don’t meet the mark. Sanders says, “while it is fine that we reach a political agreement here, the scientific community is telling us that the agreement we are reaching here does not do the job that has to be done.”
Lieberman, by contrast, says, “I don’t think we can get the bill out of the committee with 80 percent.” Perhaps he might have taken a moment to consider whether this amendment — an aspirational amendment — could have passed if he, the bill’s author, had supported it. Instead, he opposed it, and the amendment failed.
Meanwhile, Lieberman jokingly referred to his success in a college science class he referred to as “geology and astrology [sic] … rocks and stars”. This is the guy writing our climate legislation.
