Senate passes whittled-down climate change bill

"Less than two months after Gov. Chris Gregoire and other state leaders proposed a groundbreaking law to combat climate change, political opposition has whittled the plan down to a shell of its former self.

“It’s essentially a bill that does nothing,” environmental lobbyist Clifford Traisman said Wednesday night, shortly after the Senate approved a much-amended version of the plan. “They basically passed a bumper sticker.”

But the battle’s not over, he and other proponents say. They’re hoping to strengthen the bill as it moves through the House of Representatives in the next few weeks..."