Upon the release of a compromise climate bill in the U.S. Senate today, Environment Illinois applauded the bill's authors for setting a meaningful limits on global warming pollution and said "look[] forward to working with Illinois's Senators and the White House to pass a comprehensive bill that moves us toward the clean energy future Illinois and the nation need." But the group also voiced "serious concerns" with sections of the discussion draft, including expanded offshore oil drilling and nuclear power. In his statement, program director Max Muller also highlighted the proposed restrictions on state-level regulations:

We also are disappointed that the draft would block states from enacting their own cap-and-trade programs and curtails EPA authority to deal with new coal plants, especially if the federal program is found to be ineffective in future years. On the heels of an Environment Illinois report showing that state-led action on energy and global warming will cut American global warming pollution by more than 535 million metric tons by 2020—which is more than the annual emissions from all but eight of the world’s countries—it is imperative that states have the freedom to continue to innovate, especially in the event that the federal cap-and-trade system fails to meet its goals in future years.

To learn more about the "preemption issue, check out our post from last week.

While attracting 60 votes in the Senate for any legislation is difficult, environmentalists are hopeful that the bill could pass this year.