A climate bill without cap and trade seems to be gaining traction.

The three Senators pushing for a sector-by-sector approach   to energy and climate change sat down with industry groups and President Obama this week to discuss their plan.

Both meetings signal a willingness on both sides of the debate to find a compromise in the Senate. The House has already passed its version of a climate and energy bill (HR 2454 ).

Industry groups like the National Electric Manufacturers Association and the American Petroleum Institute oppose the Democrats' proposal for an overarching cap and trade on carbon pollution.

Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) have signaled that they favor a more targeted approach that focuses on power plants, transportation companies, and some manufacturers.

President Obama's meeting with the three Senators and 10 of their colleagues was his first formal sit-down with the lawmakers working on a bipartisan bill to tackle climate change.

The President appears willing to abandon cap and trade in favor of a compromise more lawmakers could support.

-- Ambreen Ali, Congress.org

Coral Davenport contributed to this report.