However, President Barack Obama is likely to use the US's commitment to lowering its emissions as a way of forcing his cap-and-trade bill through the Senate in the spring.

Although the cap-and-trade bill was rejected at the Congress in 2010, the U.S. government still considers carbon market as the more viable way to finance climate change activities.

Stavins is optimistic about the possibility of a deal emerging from the international summit underway in Copenhagen but less so about the prospects of a cap-and-trade bill in the U.S. Senate.

The bill is also known as the "Waxman-Markey Energy Bill" or the "cap-and-trade" bill.

Before being sworn into office Goodwin broke with Senate Democrats, stating he would not support their cap-and-trade bill.

The senator also had both substantive and procedural objections to the cap-and-trade bill being worked on in the Senate.

Last year, the Senate considered but defeated a cap-and-trade bill called Lieberman-Warner.

And how will the U.S. Senate find sixty-seven votes to ratify the treaty when a cap-and-trade bill can't reach the floor?

As an Ohioan, I am keenly aware of the danger of a massive cap-and-trade bill to reduce carbon emissions.

Boozman voted against the cap-and-trade bill on June 26, 2009.