EPW Hearings on Kerry-Boxer Day Two Underway

The schedule for today's hearing can be viewed here. The hearings are proceeding in four different rooms simultaneously. Up this morning on panel 1 is a group of industry representatives, ranging from pro cap-and-trade organizations such as the Apollo Alliance and Google (long a quarry of lobbyists in favor of the bill, because it has a long-term interest in keeping down energy costs for its server farms), to organizations that will oppose it as an unwarranted tax on industry, such as the Virginia Manufacturers Association, and oil company Valero Industries.

To get a feel for the position VMA is presenting, you can read its president, Brett Vassey's, recent opinion piece here (which states, inter alia, that "most major economic impact studies demonstrate that the 'cap & trade' scheme proposed in the Waxman-Markey bill will create massive consumer costs with undefined environmental benefits.").

Panel 2 consists of government and former government officials with foreign policy and security credentials, including former Virginia Senator John Warner (who, despite his conservative credentials, supports climate change legislation, and introduced his own legislation last year, the Warner Lieberman Climate Security Act); a retired General and a retired Vice Admiral, and representatives from the Defense Department, the Truman National Security Project, and a military research project at the Heritage Foundation.

Panel 3 consists of representatives of the electricity sector, including investor-owned (private) utility executives, public utilities, state regulators, and outside experts. Panel 4 consists of experts on the impact of global warming, ranging from representatives from the National Wildlife Doundation (NWF) and the Union of Concerned Scientists, to local government officials and an expert from the American Enterprise Institute.

The hearings can be viewed here.