US Senate will act on climate law next year

WASHINGTON, Dec 18, 2009 - The climate accord reached by world leaders in Copenhagen will drive the US Senate to pass its own blueprint to fight global warming in early 2010, key senator John Kerry said Friday. “This can be a catalyzing moment,” the Democratic lawmaker, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement after President Barack Obama announced a deal on the sidelines of global talks in Denmark’s capital.

“President Obama’s hands-on engagement broke through the bickering and sets the stage for a final deal and for Senate passage this spring of major legislation at home,” said Kerry, the lead author of the US Senate’s stalled bill to battle climate change. The Massachusetts lawmaker hailed Obama’s announcement after talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and South African President Jacob Zuma as “a meeting of the minds.”(AFP)