Kerry 'convinced' climate bill has a shot

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) said he is "convinced" that the climate change bill to be introduced Wednesday in the Senate has a shot to pass.

Kerry, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and coauthor of the Senate climate bill — along with Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) — framed the need for the legislation as a national security issue.

"I'm convinced it has a shot," Kerry said this morning during an appearance on MSNBC, noting that he has reached out to both Republicans and Democrats to try to win votes for the package.

The Senate bill sets more rigorous carbon emission standards than does the House legislation, aiming for a 20 percent reduction by 2020, compared to the 17 percent mandated by the House bill. Other sections, like the allowances given to corporations under the cap-and-trade system, are still left to be hammered out.

But after a razor-thin vote to get the climate bill out of the House, some observers have expected an even steeper uphill climb for the climate bill in the Senate, a charge Kerry rejected.

"There's a willingness of a lot of people here to deal with the problem of global climate change," he explained.

The Massachusetts Democrat said it was "no accident" that former generals and other national security experts would be on hand to support the climate bill when it is unveiled by Kerry and Boxer on Wednesday.