Reid on climate change: ‘I hope we can address it’

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Wednesday that he hopes the Senate will act to address climate change. But he didn’t say how.

“Climate change is an extremely important issue for me and I hope we can address it reasonably,” Reid told reporters. “It's something, as we've seen with these storms that are overwhelming our country and the world, we need to do something about it.”

Hurricane Sandy and other extreme weather are prompting renewed political focus on climate change, but prospects for action on Capitol Hill are limited.

In the Senate, a big emissions-capping bill died in 2010 without even coming up for a vote, and mandatory curbs continue to face huge political hurdles.

In Tuesday’s elections, Democrats expanded their Senate majority by two seats to 55, assuming Sen.-elect Angus King (I-Maine) caucuses with them.

But a number of Democrats from oil-producing states have joined most Republicans in opposing climate legislation, and it's a nonstarter in the GOP-controlled House.

Various lawmakers may push a range of other proposals including improving coastal defenses from storms, expanding green energy and building efficiency to help reduce emissions.