Browner says White House seeking Senate climate action this year, demurs on gas tax

White House climate czar Carol Browner on Wednesday said the Obama administration is working hard to advance Senate climate and energy legislation, but declined to weigh in on a brewing Senate proposal to impose a carbon tax on motor fuels.

“It is our hope the Senate will act this year and we will do everything in our power to support that,” she told an energy forum hosted by U.S. News & World Report.

Browner’s comments, however, follow recent White House signals that while the administration wants to see action on energy this year, it is not mounting an all-out push and has bigger priorities. (See our stories here and here.)

Browner said the White House is “very very encouraged” by Senate negotiations led by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), and is providing “technical advice” on their planned bill.

The trio is crafting a compromise measure that abandons the “economy-wide” cap-and-trade bill the House approved last year.  Instead they are pursuing a more sector-by-sector approach that includes cap-and-trade for utilities, but may address greenhouse gas emissions from gasoline through a carbon tax or fee.

But Browner ducked a question about whether the White House backs a carbon tax on motor fuels, noting “we have not been asked about that specifically in terms of technical advice.”

“We are not going to take a position on any component part, what we need to see is the whole package,” she added.