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Snowe, Collins will wield power in climate debate

10.24.2009
by JOHN RICHARDSON, Portland Press Herald

Let's hope Maine's U.S. senators enjoy being in the heat of the action on health care reform. It will be a good warm-up for the next item on the congressional to-do list: climate change.

Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins are at the top of the list of Republicans who are most likely to vote for a cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, advocates say it's hard to imagine anything passing without them.

"Maine's senators are critical," said Rafe Pomerance, president of Clean Air-Cool Planet, a nonprofit group that is lobbying for the law.

The current debate over health care reform has shown what being in that position can mean for Maine and its swing-vote senators.

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