The measure also included a requirement that 15 percent of the nation's power come from renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2021. Obama had called for that figure to reach 25 percent by 2025, while House Democrats had pushed for 20 percent by 2020. Bingaman agreed to lower the figure in an attempt to win support from Republicans, some of whom worry that their states don't generate enough wind or solar power to meet the target.

Simon also has worked extensively on legislation to combat climate change, an issue that falls partly under his committee's jurisdiction. The committee has held numerous hearings on how a proposed "cap-and-trade" system would affect energy consumers and has sought to coordinate with other Senate committees on the issue. "A lot of climate policy is the flip side of energy policy," he said. "You can run down the road thinking 'energy, energy, energy,' and you can make some bad choices -- or vice versa."

As of early November 2009, Bingaman had not taken a position on the climate-change bill developed by Senate Environment and Public Works Chair Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), and Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John F. Kerry (D-Mass.). Kerry expressed hope that he could persuade Bingaman to support the legislation.

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