Waxman to push global warming bill without allowing subcommittee vote
By: Susan Ferrechio
Chief Congressional Correspondent
May 12, 2009
House leaders struggling to pass a major energy bill appear ready to bypass the subcommittee system because powerful carbon state Democrats aren’t willing to go along with the proposal for hundreds of billions in new global warming fees.
With little hope of passing the measure out of the global warming subcommittee, Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., signaled he will move the bill to the full committee, where the legislation would likely pass.
One top Democratic aide described the move as a way to “get the bill done.” Democrats want to move the energy bill quickly in order to get to President Barack Obama’s health care plan.
Waxman said he is sticking to a May 22 deadline for passing the bill out of his full committee. That leaves little time for dragging out the process in the subcommittee, which is made up of 21 Democrats and 14 Republicans. With every GOP member likely to vote against the bill, Democrats are having a hard time coming up with the 18 votes needed to pass it by simple majority. The subcommittee includes Democrats from Louisiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Texas and Georgia, places that are dependent on coal-fired power plants or are manufacturing or oil refinery hubs that would have to pay more under the bill’s cap and trade provision.
The full committee, however, is made up of 36 Democrats and 23 Republicans and the Democratic roster includes many members from California and New England.
“Try as they might by shifting tactics and overhauling their rhetoric, this bill is a jobs killer and a growing number of rank-and-file Democrats understand that,” said Kevin Smith, spokesman for House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.
Waxman may leapfrog the subcommittee, but he is still working hard to win over its members.
Members and energy industry lobbyists who are negotiating the bill say Waxman has agreed to allocate 40 percent of the free pollution permits to power companies. And he’s agreed to give 15 percent of the permits to industries like steel and paper and another 5 percent to the oil refineries. Still under debate is the time frame for phasing out the free permits, with the power companies aiming for midcentury while Waxman is aiming for a decade or less.
Even if the bill clears the full committee, some Democratic opponents are claiming there is enough regional opposition to block the bill on the House floor.
“If there is equity in it, I will open my eyes, but in the meantime I remain very skeptical,” said Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, whose district is home to manufacturing plants and is dependent on coal-fired power.
Seven Republicans and Democrats have introduced a different energy bill they say would have a better shot at passage. The bill calls for the expansion of U.S. production of oil and natural gas and using that money to develop alternative energy sources.
