Browner: Climate bill needs trade protections for manufacturers

White House climate adviser Carol Browner said Tuesday that the administration backs protecting energy-intensive manufacturing sectors in climate legislation.

Browner notably declined to repeat President Barack Obama’s criticism last year of applying so-called carbon tariffs to goods from countries that do not impose greenhouse gas emissions controls.

She was asked specifically about carbon tariffs at an energy forum in Washington, DC hosted by the National Journal Group. But Browner answered only in broad strokes.

“We certainly recognize that for certain manufacturing sectors – that generally get referred to as energy-intensive, trade-sensitive – there are going to have to be mechanisms that recognize the fact that they compete in a global market,” Browner said. “There are a number of ideas that have been put on the table.”

Protections including carbon tariffs – or “border adjustments” – and free emissions allowances are vital to senators from manufacturing-heavy states such as Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.).

Brown, Stabenow and eight other Democrats laid out their demands in a letter to the architects of upcoming Senate climate legislation – Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) – last week.

Kerry, Graham and Lieberman plan to unveil their long-awaited climate and energy bill April 26.