Lieberman working with Burr?

Sen. Joe Lieberman appears to be adding money for coal and nuclear power in an effort to get conservative support for a climate change bill.

POLITICO reports that staffers for Sen. Richard Burr have been meeting with Lieberman's office about the bill. Lieberman, who often finds himself at arms lengths from Democrats, says he needs to add the coal and nuclear provisions to keep the bill alive. Those changes are likely to upset the bill's liberal supporters.

Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican, was among key Republicans who criticized the climate bill that left the House earlier this year.

Lieberman believes that including greater funding for coal and nuclear energy could make the bill more attractive to Republicans and conservative Democrats. The Republicans in his group agree — but some say that increasing support for nuclear power is unlikely to be enough to win their votes.

 

"There are a lot of things that keep you from having a bipartisan bill," said Burr. "The bill is flawed, and the way, at least, it will be implemented picks winners and losers state to state."

 Hat tip: Leroy Towns