UNITED NATIONS -- Even if a U.S. climate change and energy bill is not ready before December's international climate talks, the Obama administration should be able to adopt firm greenhouse gas reduction targets there, the chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee said today.

Speaking to reporters following her meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said the absence of signed legislation should not be construed by other countries as evidence that the United States is not moving forward on the problem.

The Obama administration's negotiators should be able to adopt firm greenhouse gas reduction targets during the meetings in Copenhagen, Denmark, on the basis of what has already been accomplished, Boxer said. "I think the administration is very strong on this, and I do think targets are very important," Boxer said. "My own belief is the genius inventors of the world, the entrepreneurs of the world ... are going to really be working on technologies. And so I don't think it will be that hard to meet these targets."

Read the full article at the New York Times website.

Source: New York Times