Byrd slammed the Waxman-Markey climate and energy bill that passed the House last summer, but in the months following, he sounded more open to a Senate climate bill—provided it included support for "clean coal" and carbon capture and sequestration. "To deny the mounting science of climate change is to stick our heads in the sand and say ‘deal me out.' West Virginia would be much smarter to stay at the table," he wrote in December. As recently as last month, E&E Dailyconsidered Byrd to be a fence-sitter on climate legislation. \n
Jonathan Hiskes is a staff writer for Grist. For more on Byrd and his legacy, read the full post here.
Photo courtesy of Grist.