Midterm elections in 2010 to affect progress of Senate climate measure
Proponents of the Senate's climate change bill, which the Environment and Public Works panel cleared this month, have roughly until the end of March to muster the 60 votes required for approval because of next year's midterm November elections. "Conventional wisdom is that you have until the spring to get controversial issues moving," said Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., a co-author of the measure. Under a best-case scenario, the Senate will pass the legislation by March, granting a House-Senate conference enough time to complete it by the end of spring. New York Times, The/ClimateWire (11/16), Reuters (11/16)