With the healhcare debate overwhelming everything else in Washington cap and trade seems all but dead. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) have introduced CLEAR Act. The bills sponsors claim 80% of energy consumers will see no increase in their net cost for energy. The website Reason.com has an indepth look. The bill will still face an uphill battle to become law as the November Election gets closer. The key difference in the Clear bill and Waxman-Markey one passed by the House of Representatives last June is the CLEAR bill woud largely avoid picking winners and losers among technologies, special interest groups, or industries by not deciding who gets how many carbon credits. While it may seem Cap and Trade has been killed by the Health Care battle with Republicans and Democrats woring togather to propose alternatives some sort of carbon reduction bill may yet happen in 2010.