Earth Equity News

Senate Dems Wrestle over Carbon Market Regs. By Katherine Ling and Ben Geman, ClimateWire, July 24, 2009. "Diverging views about how to regulate trillion-dollar carbon trading markets that would grow under a cap-and-trade law have emerged as a major hurdle for Democrats trying to pass a climate bill this year. Some prominent senators on energy issues say the House-passed climate bill would not prevent a repeat of alleged speculation or manipulation in oil markets in recent years. At the same time, some banks and energy companies are warning against excessive market controls that could crimp companies' ability to hedge risks and control costs under a carbon regime... Just how tough the controls should be is a measure of intense debate, especially in an arena as complex as financial regulation. Another complicating factor: decisions about carbon market oversight are bound up in larger efforts involving multiple committees to overhaul regulation of oil, natural gas and other commodity markets."