OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Senate says climate change is real

by Laura Barron-Lopez and Timothy Cama - 01/21/15 7:58 PM ET

NOT A LOAD OF A BALONEY: Senators voted 98-1 that “climate change is real and not a hoax.”

I repeat “not a hoax!” The bipartisan vote caught Democrats off guard as many thought a majority of Republicans would vote against the amendment, which will now be attached to underlying legislation that would approve the Keystone XL pipeline.

{mosads}It was even more stunning when the Senate’s loudest skeptic of climate change, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said he wanted to co-sponsor the bill with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I) — the measure’s lead author.

In response to the vote Whitehouse said in a statement: “This resolution marks a historic shift for many of my Republican colleagues. While a number of Republicans have long acknowledged that climate change is real, including Senator Graham who spoke once again today, many others either denied the science or refused to discuss it. I was glad to see almost every Republican, including Senator Inhofe, acknowledge the reality of climate change today, and I hope this means we can move on to discussing not just whether climate change is real, but what we should do about it.”

However, the Senate also voted down a measure that climate change is real and that humans “significantly” contribute to it.

Read more on the vote here and check on The Hill to see which Republicans broke with party line and voted that humans contribute to climate change.

ON TAP THURSDAY I: The Senate will continue voting on amendments to the Keystone XL bill. Among the amendments in the queue for a vote are Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) climate change measure, and others offered by Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)

ON TAP THURSDAY II: Sens. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Canadian Ambassador Gary Doer will hold a press conference to push for the Keystone XL pipeline.

Rest of Thursday’s agenda…

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a meeting Wednesday to agree to its budget for the next two years.

The Natural Resources Defense Council will hold a pair of conference calls for reporters. One will be on the energy and climate opportunities President Obama will have in his upcoming trip to India. The other will be on polling data regarding voters’ opinions of environmental policy in five states.

The Environmental Law Institute is holding a talk on the international climate change negotiations. It’ll feature former State Department attorney Sue Biniaz and leaders from various environmental groups.

The United States Energy Association is hosting a discussion on a major project to test carbon capture and storage technologies that happened from 2009 to 2014. It will feature Nigel Jenvey, the resource and projects manager for the Americas from BP.

Environmental Protection Agency head Gina McCarthy will speak at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colo., on the impact of climate change on winter sports, recreation and tourism.

AROUND THE WEB:

Glendive, Mont., is having trouble supplying its residents with bottled water following an oil pipeline leak 9 miles upstream from its drinking water supply, the Billings Gazette reports.

Drought, land use changes and other factors have made California’s trees smaller and more densely spaced, leaving them more susceptible to wildfires, the Los Angeles Times reports, citing new research.

A federal court continued to hear testimony on BP’s responsibility for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill Wednesday, including its impact on wildlife, the Times-Picayune reports.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

– Senate votes that climate change is real

– Obama issues order on Arctic climate change

– House votes to speed natural gas pipelines

– Clinton stays mum on Keystone

– GOP hopefuls to watch on climate change votes

– Sen. Inhofe takes charge of Environment Committee

– Republican hints at Keystone backup plan

– Bloomberg gives $48M to help states meet Obama’s climate rule

– Oilfield firms see continued drilling slowdown

– Gore, Pharrell Williams to hold concerts for climate change

Please send tips and comments to Laura Barron-Lopez, laurab@thehill.com, and Timothy Cama, tcama@thehill.com.