Obama commits to climate change bill

Barack Obama put himself firmly behind the effort to get a climate change bill through Congress in his �state of the union' address � but said it must include a new generation of nuclear power. "This year, I am eager to help advance the bipartisan effort in the Senate," he said. But Obama made it clear that he supported a "bipartisan" effort which would incorporate energy policies that are popular among Republicans � and fiercely opposed by the liberal wing of his own party. "That means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country. It means making tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development. It means continued investment in advanced biofuels and clean coal technologies," Obama said. Obama's endorsement of a nuclear renaissance � 30 years since the last new nuclear plant � was calculated to help the efforts of Democratic Senator John Kerry and Republican Lindsey Graham craft a compromise bill that could get broad support in the Senate. The house narrowly passed a climate change bill last June, but the effort has bogged down in the Senate.