Dive Brief:
- Two different groups of Democratic senators sent letters to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, one side urging more flexibility for states in meeting carbon reductions and the other advocating for greater emissions cuts, National Journal reports.
- In one letter, a group led by Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) advocated for more renewable energy and efficiencies to be included in the plan.
- In the other letter, a group headed by Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) urged the EPA to eliminate the initial 2020 targets from the final Clean Power Plan (CPP) rule.
Dive Insight:
The two letters illustrate the intense pressure on the Obama Administration, even from inside the Democratic party, as the EPA works to finalize carbon reduction targets.
McCaskill's letter said the CPP's initial target "does not accurately reflect the lead time needed for necessary infrastructure investments and upgrades." The letter advocated that initial targets should be eliminated and that instead, "each state should have the responsibility of developing its own glide path, in its EPA approved state plan, necessary for achieving its final goal by 2030."
The Merkley-Schatz letter, by contrast, said that with "modest changes" more reductions could be made.
"While the emission reduction goals of the Clean Power Plan are laudable, we believe that with modest changes to reflect real-world and technological conditions, the plan can, and should, achieve greater emissions reductions," the letter said.
Looking deeper into the split between Democrats, National Journal notes that signing on to both letters are new members of the party's Senate leadership. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, (D-Mass.) signed the Merkley-Schatz bill and has been tapped to rally liberal groups. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) will chair the Senate Democratic Steering Committee and signed the McCaskill letter.
