Energy-company chiefs and union leaders lauded the prospects of a new green workforce as lawmakers discussed a climate-change bill, but economic experts told the Senate Finance Committee that the legislation could lead to job losses in the refining and manufacturing sectors. These statements come as the panel is studying the measure’s potential effects on the country’s energy workforce. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said the proposal’s detractors fail to look at the long-term effects of global warming, which would raise the costs of crops and increase pollution “that we have to clean up.” Houston Chronicle (11/10)