Via Climate Progress, yesterday’s E&E News PM (subscription required):

The Senate will not take up climate change legislation until this fall, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said today, confirming plans to let the House proceed first on the controversial cap-and-trade and energy measure.

“They’re going to finish theirs before August,” Reid told reporters. “So we’ll have to do it in the fall”….

Asked whether Congress can complete a bill this year, Reid responded, “Congress lasts two years.”

Joe thinks this is a good thing, but I’m not so sure. I think if the House and Senate can cap carbon emissions without too many compromises on offsets and allocation of emissions allowances, they should do so as soon as humanly possible. The political climate could shift in the next 12 months, making such a task even harder than it is now. This fight has been put off for years, and as unfavorable as the Senate currently is, it still might be our best shot.