Republican victories could hurt Obama’s clean energy plan

Reuters reports that any chance of a broad comprehensive bill on addressing climate change was essentially killed last night as the Republicans took control of the House. Moreover, a lot of the Republicans who won campaigned on the idea of less regulation and a smaller role for government. So it’s going to be hard for Obama to push through even a stripped down version of a climate bill on carbon emissions, an idea that Republicans refer to as an energy tax.

In the House, many members lost partially because they had supported climate policy. Rick Boucher, a Democrat from Virginia coal country who came under fire for voting for the chamber’s climate bill in 2009, lost to Republican Morgan Griffith. Fellow Virginian Democrat Tom Perriello lost to Republican Robert Hurt.

In the Senate, Republicans were on the way to gaining four seats, making it tough for John Kerry, the chief proponent of passing climate change legislation, to get the job done.