OLYMPIA --  Whether or not the Senate will vote to say climate change is real remains a mystery this afternoon as Republicans delayed a vote on a major carbon reduction bill.

An amendment drafted by Sen. Cyrus Habib, D-Seattle, to the bill seeks to add an "intent" section that starts out " The Legislature finds that climate change is real. . ." A vote on the bill was delayed Friday after the bill's sponsor, Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, asked for a ruling that the new intent section was beyond the scope of the bill.

No, Lt. Gov. Brad Owen, the president of the Senate, ruled this afternoon. "The bill would function the same" whether the amendment is added or not because an intent section alters nothing in the bill.

That does have it's limitations, Owen added. An intent section that was totally unrelated to a bill wouldn't be proper. But the bill is about carbon reduction investments and additions to the Energy Independence Act, so adding an intent section about global climate change is would be acceptable, if the amendment were to pass.

Rather than vote on the amendment, however, Republicans asked to set it aside for the time being and take up other legislation.

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