White House says it is "time to act" on climate bill

The White House waded into the debate surrounding how the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will affect the chances of passing US climate change legislation this year, arguing that the environmental crisis highlighted the need for a rapid shift towards low carbon forms of energy.

The intervention came as Democrat Senator John Kerry and independent Senator Joe Lieberman confirmed that they would formally unveil a draft version of the climate bill on Wednesday, despite the fact that their erstwhile colleague, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, said that he wanted to see the bill delayed until the oil spill in the Gulf was tackled.

Senator Graham controversially withdrew his support for the bill late last month over a perceived attempt by Democrats to push the bill down the political agenda. The move scuppered initial plans to launch the draft bill and, despite having said that he still supports the bill in principle, Senator Graham said on Thursday that the oil spill meant that the Senators behind the bill should " pause the process and reassess where we stand".

Senator Graham's support for the bill is widely seen as crucial to the Democrats' chances of winning over the handful of moderate Republican Senators whose support they require to pass the bill.

However, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Friday that the administration supported moving forward with the bill, arguing that the oil spill and ensuing environment catastrophe underlines the need for the shift towards cleaner forms of energy enabled by the legislation.

"I think the president would believe that now more than ever is the time to act," he said.

His comments were echoed by Senators Kerry and Lieberman who released a joint statement insisting that they had made "new progress" towards securing the 60 votes they need to pass the bill. They also argued that the oil spill had given people a "heightened understanding" of the urgent need to reform the US energy complex.

The bill is expected to be unveiled alongside a host of US business leaders who have signalled their support for the legislation. In a move designed to neutralise criticism from many business lobby groups, senior executives from many of the carbon-intensive energy firms affected by the legislation will offer vocal support to the legislation, which promises to cut US emissions by 17 per cent by 2020 through the introduction of a new emissions trading scheme and increased support for low carbon energy sources.

However, while the Deepwater Horizon oil spill may help build up popular support for the bill, it could seriously damage the chances of securing the bi-partisan support the bill needs to win 60 Senate votes.

Earlier draft versions of the bill contained concessions designed to win over some Republicans that would allow for an expansion of offshore drilling. However, in the wake of the oil spill, some Democrats have signalled that they will not support a bill that allows for further offshore drilling.

In contrast, a number of senior Republicans, including influential former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, have said that the oil spill in the Gulf should not be used as an excuse to scale back a planned expansion of offshore oil drilling, which they believe will help to increase US energy security.

Some form of compromise whereby new offshore drilling is still allowed but under a significantly tighter regulatory environment looks set to be included in the bill, but it remains to be seen if Senators Kerry and Lieberman can secure the support they need to pass the bill.