McCain Calls Kerry-Graham-Lieberman Climate Change Plan 'A Joke'

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) Tuesday derided as "a joke" a bipartisan proposal being crafted by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), and John Kerry (D-Mass.) to address climate change since it does not spell out what to do with toxic waste that would be generated by proposed new nuclear plants.

"There's no nuclear power, there's no recycling, there's no storage," McCain said. "It's a joke when there's no site recycling and there's no storage. Nuclear power is not viable without recycling and without storage. Period."

The proposal from Graham, Lieberman, and Kerry calls for regulating different kinds of business sectors individually rather than having one carbon emissions standard for all businesses. This is a significant change from the climate bill proposed by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) last year. That bill would cap all emissions in the same way, no matter how they are generated. Because the Boxer bill has not won broad support, the proposal from the three senators represents the most viable chance for passing climate change legislation this Congress.The proposal would also authorize construction of new nuclear power plants, as has been advocated by President Obama. It does not, as McCain said, suggest a plan for dealing with the new waste generated by those plants. An existing plan to store the nation's nuclear waste at a facility in Yucca Mountain, Nevada, was de-funded by the Obama administration at the urging of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who represents Nevada.

McCain's comments were particularly pointed for a bill being authored by his two close friends, Graham and Lieberman.