Senator Graham calls cap and trade climate plan dead

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator Lindsey Graham said Tuesday that an economy-wide cap and trade system for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases "I think is dead."

"The cap and trade bills in the House and Senate are dead. The concept of cap and trade is going to be replaced," Graham added. But he did not specify whether cap and trade might be used to control emissions in just one sector, such as utility companies, instead of earlier efforts for an economy-wide cap and trade.

Senator John Kerry told reporters he hoped a compromise climate control bill could be put together this month, although many meetings were still being held. Graham told reporters it will be "weeks and weeks" before a bill is ready.

(Reporting by Thomas Ferraro and Richard Cowan, editing by Philip Barbara)