GOP supporter of climate bill eyeing process ahead

One of the few Republican supporters of cap-and-trade legislation in the House is keeping her powder dry on a final vote as the Senate works on its own version.

Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.) signaled that she's keeping a watchful eye over how a final version of a climate change bill will look after having been one of eight House Republicans to support the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

"They still need to improve it," Bono Mack told the Desert Sun.

“This is all still a work in progress -- a moving target,” she said. “The legislation we're looking at today is all about our economy.”

A spokeswoman for Bono Mack said Thursday evening that her position on the House bill remains unchanged, but that she is working to respect the Senate's work on its own, different bill.

Bono Mack is a centrist Republican who drew criticism from more conservative elements of her base, including a primary challenger for her 2010 reelection bid. Mack is also expected to face a tough race in the general election from Democrat Steve Pougnet.

She said she is "certainly not there yet" when it comes to voting for final passage on any climate bill, adding that she would like to see provisions on nuclear power added to the bill.

The Senate is currently in the process of marking-up its own cap-and-trade bill, which imposes slightly more stringent caps on emissions than the House version, which barely passed in late June on a 219-212 vote (with three members not voting).

Any chance for Bono Mack to vote again would hinge on the Senate's ability to finish their own legislation and send it to conference, a development likely to happen in 2010, if at all.

Bono Mack's vote, along with seven other Republicans, were seen as instrumental in moving the climate bill forward, though House Democrats have padded their majorities since June through special elections.