President Barack Obama told House Democrats Tuesday he wants them to work out their differences on a stalled energy reform bill and is willing to allow compromises to get the legislation passed.
Democratic members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee met with Obama for 90 minutes at the White House and lawmakers gave Obama an earful about the cap-and-trade provision in the bill, which will hit manufacturing plants, oil refineries and some utilities with much higher operating costs by requiring them to pay more to pollute. Members said Obama was open to their concerns and told them to do what it takes to work out an agreement.
“What he really wants on his desk is a bill and he is leaving it to us to develop a consensus,” said Rep. Boucher, D-Va., a top negotiator.
Giving away pollution credits to favored industries is one point of compromise. But there are others.
Obama apparently wants to get the energy bill out of the way in order to begin the process of passing health care reform in time for the 2010 mid-term elections, members at the meeting said.
“He said if there is high unemployment by election time, we need to show we are dealing with health care,” said
Rep. Gene Green, D-Texas, who attended the meeting.
Obama told Democrats to put together an energy bill that does not hurt low-income consumers or the ability of U.S. industries to compete internationally.
The meeting seems to have sparked a desire among Democrats to move more quickly on the bill, which is stuck in an energy subcommittee.
“After today, we could be very close,” to moving a bill, Green said.
