As momentum wanes, Reid likely to call for vote on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal

Without any sure vote count and with waning prospects for success, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he would likely call for a vote tonight on the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy barring gays from serving openly…

From immigration to energy, Dems face high hurdles in lame-duck session of Congress

The midterm hangover having finally worn off, the 111th Congress returned Monday to kick off the lame-duck session, its last hurrah before its successor takes over. And the 112th Congress will look radically different, with Republicans in control of the House and the Democratic majority in the Senate significantly reduced. These next few weeks, then, could be the last chance for major Democratic initiatives. But the hurdles are high, and Republicans see no reason to grant Democrats any victories after the populace voiced its discontent with the policies of the past two years.

With Congress gridlocked on climate legislation, environmental groups forge ahead

Despite the Gulf oil spill, a massive pipeline break in Michigan and broad concerns about global warming, ambitious climate-change and energy legislation is likely dead for the year. That poses a conundrum, going forward, for environmentalists: How to convince lawmakers of the need for legislation to sever the country’s decades-long ties to oil and to reform energy policy more generally?

Udall, Bennet add names to revived national renewable energy standard bill

Colorado Democratic Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet Tuesday signed onto a bipartisan bid to pass a national renewable energy standard (RES) modeled after Colorado’s requirement that was first approved by state voters in 2004.

Introduced in the Senate by…

Udall, Bennet, Polis lament GOP filibuster of DADT

Republicans successfully filibustered the nation’s defense authorization bill hours ago, edging close to gridlock history. If scotched this year, the bill will be the first of its kind in 48 years to fail to pass. Republicans objected on procedural and philosophical grounds. They resented Majority Leader Harry Reid’s including two controversial amendments with the bill: the immigrant youth “path to citizenship” DREAM Act and the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy repeal that would allow gays in the military to serve openly. Many Republicans also believed the two amendments would make bad law.

Udall working to head off GOP filibuster on DADT repeal

The U.S. Senate today is scheduled to make a key procedural vote on the defense authorization bill, legislation that primarily releases resources for the military and that has been passed 48 years in a row. This year is different. Republicans…

Udall pushes for renewable energy standard over August recess

Proponents of a renewable energy standard, which would require that a certain percentage of the country’s electricity be produced from sources like wind and solar, have ramped up efforts to convince Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to pass such…

Reid gives up on watered down energy bill before break

A day after federal officials estimated BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill set the worst kind of record by pumping nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and the same day BP moved to permanently seal…

Colorado conservation groups push Congress for tougher drilling regs

As Congress wrangles over what’s left of meaningful energy policy reform before the August recess, Colorado’s conservation community is watching closely to make sure onshore oil and gas drilling gets as much attention as the offshore drilling that led to BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Organized online, jobless Americans eye midterm elections

Sometime this spring, Republicans turned against unemployment. In Nevada, Sharron Angle (R), the candidate facing incumbent Sen. Harry Reid (D), told local reporters, “You can make more money on unemployment than you can going down and getting one of those jobs that is an honest job.” (Untrue.) Angle also called the unemployed “spoiled.”