Time is Climate Change Hurdle, Says Former Sen. Johnston on Platts Energy Week

WASHINGTON, March 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Platts  -- Time will be the enemy of any attempt to pass climate legislation in the U.S. Congress this year, according to the former chairman of the Senate Energy Committee who appeared on Sunday's Platts Energy Week, a new weekly half-hour television program for discussion and debate on U.S. energy policy. The program premiered here yesterday at 8:00 a.m. ET on W*USA Television and online at www.plattsenergyweektv.com.

J. Bennett Johnston, interviewed by Bill Loveless, chief of Platts' Washington affairs team and host of Platts Energy Week, came back to the theme of the calendar several times in his interview. Johnston is now a lobbyist representing a variety of energy interests.

"I believe in the science of climate change, but there is simply not time, in my judgment, to get it done this year," Johnston said. "There was a deal to be done if they started earlier, but not this year." Johnston's comments were in response to a question about whether the Democrats, on the heels of passing landmark health care legislation, have the enthusiasm and momentum to push through a climate bill this year.

"What you've got to do is provide a credible way to control greenhouse gases," Johnston said. "But first of all, you've got to deal with coal, and they don't have a plan for coal." The "pathway" to dealing with coal is carbon capture and sequestration, according to Johnston: "That is the key to any bill and they haven't worked that out."

If the calendar were not running out on Congress -- with recesses, other legislative priorities and the 2010 mid-term elections -- there would be "a deal to be done where you would put together all the pieces," Johnston said. "Nuclear, offshore drilling, carbon capture and sequestration, renewable energy standards... all the parts."

Johnston suggested that a bill that came out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last June, chaired by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (Democrat-New Mexico), could have been passed by the wider Congress "had they started earlier." However, that bill did not include regulations controlling carbon emissions.

Other program guests included Kathleen Rogers, President of the Earth Day Network, discussing the upcoming April 25 Earth Day and the 40-year history of the movement, and Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, talking about a recent Department of Energy crackdown on manufacturer compliance with government energy efficiency standards. Program host Bill Loveless is the long-time chief editor of Platts' Inside Energy and brings nearly three decades of energy journalism experience to the anchor chair.

Platts Energy Week airs weekly at 8 a.m. Eastern time on Sunday mornings on W*USA TV in Washington, DC and is available online at www.plattsenergyweektv.com shortly thereafter. The program follows an interview format featuring guests from the Obama administration, Congress, government agencies, think tanks, the investment community and the energy industry.

Program information, special news features, advertising contacts and more can be found at www.plattsenergyweektv.com. Guest booking and related inquiries should be addressed to this email box: [email protected].

Platts Energy Week is produced by Platts, the world's leading source of information and intelligence on energy and related commodities and a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies [NYSE: MHP], and W*USA-TV, the Washington, D.C., CBS affiliate and flagship television station of Gannett Co. [NYSE: GCI]. While the program is U.S. focused and produced in Washington, it reflects the global vantage point of Platts, whose correspondents are stationed in such major capitals as London, Dubai, Singapore, Tokyo and Moscow.

Additional information about Platts and the energy sector can be found at the Platts website at www.platts.com.  For more on W*USA 9 News Now, visit the W*USA website at www.wusa9.com.

About Platts: Platts, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), is a leading global provider of energy and commodities information. With a century of business experience, Platts serves customers across more than 150 countries. An independent provider, Platts serves the oil, natural gas, electricity, emissions, nuclear power, coal, petrochemical, shipping, and metals markets from 17 offices worldwide. Platts' real-time news, pricing, analytical services and conferences help markets operate with transparency and efficiency. Traders, risk managers, analysts, and industry leaders depend upon Platts to help them make better trading and investment decisions. Additional information is available at http://www.platts.com.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies: Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:  MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, Platts, Capital IQ, J.D. Power and Associates, McGraw-Hill Construction and Aviation Week. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2008 were $6.4 billion. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com. 

About W*USA: W*USA is owned by the Gannett Company Inc. (NYSE: GCI).  Gannett is an international news and information company operating on multiple platforms including the Internet, mobile, newspapers, magazines and TV stations. Gannett is an Internet leader with hundreds of newspaper and TV Web sites; CareerBuilder.com, the nation's top employment site; USATODAY.com; and more than 80 local MomsLikeMe.com sites. Gannett publishes 84 daily U.S. newspapers, including USA TODAY, the nation's largest-selling daily newspaper, and more than 700 magazines and other non-dailies including USA WEEKEND. Gannett also operates 23 television stations in 19 U.S. markets. Gannett subsidiary Newsquest is the United Kingdom's second largest regional newspaper company with 17 daily paid-for titles, more than 200 weekly newspapers, magazines and trade publications, and a network of Web sites. Gannett TV stations are: WATL-TV, Atlanta, WXIA-TV, Atlanta, WLBZ-TV, Bangor, Maine, WGRZ-TV, Buffalo, N.Y.WKYC-TV, Cleveland, Ohio, WLTX-TV, Columbia, S.C., KTVD-TV, Denver, Colo. KUSA-TV, Denver, Colo. KNAZ-TV, Flagstaff, Ariz. WZZM-TV, Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, Mich., WFMY-TV, Greensboro, N.C., WTLV-TV, Jacksonville, Fla., WJXX-TV, Jacksonville, Fla., WBIR-TV, Knoxville, Tenn., KTHV-TV, Little Rock, Ark., WMAZ-TV, Macon, Ga., KARE-TV, Minneapolis-St. Paul, KPNX-TV, Phoenix, Ariz., WCSH-TV, Portland, Maine, KXTV-TV, Sacramento, Calif., KSDK-TV, St. Louis, Mo., WTSP-TV, Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla. WUSA-TV, Washington, D.C.

SOURCE Platts

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