Obama’s offensive against the mining industry follows other populist attacks in the debates over healthcare and financial legislation.

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Point Carbon, a market analysis firm, estimates that carbon prices will average around $31 a ton during the first phase of KGL climate legislation, which has yet to be released.

The $31 a ton is the average estimated price between 2013 and 2020 and is only a few dollars more than carbon costs are expected to reach by 2020 under House passed climate legislation.

How can Point Carbon forecast the costs of legislation that doesn't exist? The price reflects the “presumed carbon market architecture from involved stakeholders and discussions with sources close to the bill,” the firm said in news release. Here's the firm's Web site.

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Ten Senate Democrats on Thursday offered the architects of upcoming climate legislation a detailed list of measures they say are needed to protect and boost U.S. manufacturing.

The letter – spearheaded by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) – comes ahead of the planned April 26 unveiling of the long-awaited climate and energy bill authored by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.).

The letter calls for several provisions that contain the costs of the bill for manufacturers, including a “firm price collar” on the cost of emissions allowances and some free allowances set aside for “energy-intensive, trade-exposed” industries.

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Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) plan to unveil their long-awaited climate change and energy bill on Monday, April 26, according to sources familiar with the plans. The trio had earlier planned to unveil the measure next week, but the bill remains under development.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously approved a bill Thursday that seeks to address security vulnerabilities in the nation's energy grid.

The legislation, which now heads to the House floor, would charge the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) with the responsibility of identifying and addressing weaknesses in the country's energy delivery system.

The Grid Reliability and Infrastructure Defense (GRID) Act arrives at the behest of lawmakers and experts who fear hackers and other cyber-terrorists could easily de-stabilize the country's energy systems remotely, causing untold harm to both the federal government and the private sphere.

Closing those prospective security holes is crucial for Democrats, especially, if they hope soon to forge ahead with their plans to establish a Web-based "Smart Grid" that allows Americans to gauge their energy use.

“Right now, our electrical grid is vulnerable to threats from terrorists and hostile countries. Our adversaries have motive, intent, and the capacity to exploit these weaknesses,” said Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the chairman of the Energy and Environment Subcommittee and the bill's co-sponsor, following Thursday's 47-0 vote.

“Every one of our nation’s critical systems – water, healthcare, telecommunications, transportation, law enforcement, and financial services – depends on the grid,” Markey said in a statement stressing the legislation's importance.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday that the U.S. hopes to aid development of natural gas from shale formations in other western hemisphere countries even as she acknowledged environmental concerns about the resource.

“The United States will promote the use of shale gas. I know in some places that is controversial,” Clinton said. She spoke at the Energy and Climate Ministerial of the Americas, a two-day meeting of energy ministers hosted by the U.S., the Inter-American Development Bank and the Organization of American States.

The oil-and-gas industry’s increasing ability to tap gas trapped in shale rock formations has helped boost U.S. supplies, but environmentalists and some lawmakers fear that drilling methods that break through the formations will contaminate water supplies.

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Congressional Democrats proposed an overhaul of chemical laws intended to give federal regulators more power to restrict use of certain chemicals they deem hazardous.

Legislation introduced in the Senate and a discussion draft released in the House follows a year of talks among various stakeholder groups on how to update the often-criticized Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976.

One prominent special interest, chemical companies, called the legislation released Wednesday a good first step as they signaled opposition to some key provisions in the measure, a fight that could delay final approval despite efforts to get broad buy-in to the reform effort.

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President Obama on Thursday launched a new offensive against coal mine owners whom he accused of shirking safety rules.

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The Inter-American Development Bank on Thursday pledged to increase financing for renewable energy and climate-related projects to $3 billion annually by 2012.

The bank's lending for sustainable energy projects will likely reach $1.5 billion this year, IDB said.

The announcement comes at the start of a two-day conference of western hemisphere energy ministers hosted by the bank, the Energy Department, the State Department and the Organization of American States.

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