Democratic senators from W.Va. to Minn. draw line in the sand, casting doubt on climate bill

"Ten moderate Senate Democrats from states dependent on coal and manufacturing sent a letter to President Obama on Thursday saying they would not support any climate change bill that did not protect American industries from competition from countries that did not impose similar restraints on climate-altering gases," John Broder reports for The New York Times. "The senators represent Midwestern and coal-producing states from which many of the 44 Democrats who voted against the measure in the House come from. Without their support, it is unlikely that the Senate can pass a major climate change bill. The 10 senators were Evan Bayh of Indiana; Sherrod Brown of Ohio; Robert C. Byrd and John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia; Bob Casey and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania; Russ Feingold of Wisconsin; Al Franken of Minnesota; and Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan." (Read more)

Keith Johnson writes for The Wall Street Journal that the senators demanded a “level playing field” for American manufacturing. "In plain English: If you want your climate bill, you better include 'carbon tariffs' to make sure U.S. jobs don’t scurry off to unregulated China. The list of senators includes some heavyweights, but all are swing votes for the bill . . . Without the support of these lawmakers, you can stick a fork in the climate bill — it’s done." (Read more)