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Internal Rifts Cloud Democrats' Opportunity on Warming
Rep. John D. Dingell, chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, had expected to lead the debate over global warming -- until House Speaker Nancy Pelosi formed a new panel.
(By Melina Mara -- The Washington Post)
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"If you're a Democrat in a moderate district, this is not the kind of vote you want to take," said Myron Ebell, director of global-warming policy for the Competitive Enterprise Institute, an industry-funded think tank. "I think Democrats are really going to disappoint the enviros over the next two years, because all they're going to do is talk."
In fact, it's not clear that environmentalists would be all that disappointed. They believe the public is moving in their direction, as climate-friendly actions by companies such as Wal-Mart and states such as California help build pressure for a national solution. Many of them think two years of hearings could set the stage for a Waxman-style bill that a Democratic president -- or a climate-conscious Republican such as Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) -- could sign in 2009.
"If we can get some real facts into the public domain, keep educating the American people, lay down some principles about what kind of bill is acceptable and help get the next Congress ready to act, that would be a success," said Ana Unruh Cohen, a global-warming expert at the liberal Center for American Progress. "You know, Bush is still the president."
And Dingell is still the guy with the gavel. He and Boucher are already planning hearings on global warming, and they have invited former vice president Al Gore to testify. ("Al's a good friend," Dingell said. "So was his father.") But Dingell warns that he is a "fairly fussy, careful legislator."
Pelosi is pushing for action by July 4. She wants to show Americans that Democrats care. And she wants to show Dingell that a new guard is running the show.
"We shouldn't get hung up on procedural matters," Emanuel said. The select committee, he said, is "continuing to remind people this is a different Congress, with different priorities."
Staff researcher Madonna Lebling contributed to this report.
