"It took Democratic leaders weeks of negotiations, deal-cutting and floor debate before they could squeak a broad health care overhaul bill through the Senate last month.

But that was nothing compared to the challenge facing Senate leaders this spring if they press forward with controversial legislation to combat global warming.

The plan to cap greenhouse gases blamed for the Earth's rising temperature is complicated by election-year politics and fears about exacerbating the nation's economic woes."

Jennifer A. Dlouhy reports for Hearst Newspapers January 3, 2010. [2]