"Baucus Makes a Grab for Climate Bill"

"For liberal Democrats unhappy with the way Max Baucus is handling health care reform, here’s another dose of bad news: He’s got his hands on climate and energy, too.

Behind closed doors, Sen. Baucus has been staking his claim on major aspects of the climate bill, including financing for a cap-and-trade system. ...

liberals have complained that Baucus’s obsession with getting Republican support for the health care bill has slowed progress on the issue, and they worry the same thing will happen on climate change.

In public, Baucus has kept a laserlike focus on the health care negotiations -- honoring the administration’s wishes to put cap and trade on the back burner until Congress completes its work on health care. ...

But while Baucus has been the public face of health care negotiations, a dedicated team of his aides has been working on the climate bill. As the Finance Committee chairman and the second-most-senior Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, Baucus is in a uniquely powerful position on climate issues."

Lisa Lerer reports for Politico September 11, 2009.

See Also:

"Is Sen. Baucus of Montana Standing in the Way of Swift, Strong Climate Action?" (Grist)

"Small Signs of Progress" (ClimateWire)

"On Climate, Partners on Hill Drift Apart" (Washington Post)

Bill Backers Raise Security Threat (L.A. Times)