Swept in by a Hurricane, Climate Change Returns to Washington

After two years as the new third rail of American politics, climate change is poised for a return to Capitol Hill.

In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy and this summer’s drought, the political atmosphere seems to have changed. Washington observers say the cost of extreme weather are too big and obvious to be ignored.

What form climate legislation could take remains undetermined, but the Democrats’ failed 2010 cap-and-trade bill won’t likely be reheated. There’s a demand for new ideas — and, at least for now, those ideas will be heard.

“Insurance companies are talking about this. Governors and mayors are. Communities all over the country are having serious conversations about resilience and extreme weather,” said Eric Pooley, senior vice president of the Environmental Defense Fund, a centrist advocacy group.