Dingell takes on thorny climate issues

Dingell takes on thorny climate issues

	Published : Tue, 31 Jul 2007 23:24 By : Agencies Print this Story

WASHINGTON (AP) - During five decades in Congress, Rep. John Dingell has brokered plenty of difficult-to-pass, sweeping pieces of legislation, from complex rules governing clean air to the protection of endangered species.

But the 81-year-old Michigan Democrat may be facing his most significant challenges yet: measures to require the auto industry to boost fuel efficiency standards and a much broader push to curb global warming later this year.

The stature of Dingell, the longest-serving current House member, could be on display this week when Congress considers an energy bill. And in the months ahead, his clout also will be tested when his Energy and Commerce Committee works on legislation to create a mandatory cap-and-trade program to curb carbon dioxide emissions.

'It may be the single-most difficult and complex one I have had,' Dingell said of the much-anticipated climate change measure. 'But remember that I often get a lot of these nasty things.'

Dingell, a longtime defender of Detroit's auto industry, has been at odds with some members of his own party, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, over the fuel economy rules and the creation of a task force on global warming.

Pelosi has signaled support for a Senate bill passed last month requiring vehicles to meet a fleetwide average of 35 miles per gallon by 2019. But it's unclear whether the House will consider fuel economy or renewable energy sources in the energy bill this week. 'They may bring them, they may not,' Pelosi said Tuesday.

Fuel economy rules have made little progress during the past two decades, prompting calls for reform. Passenger cars must currently meet a standard of 27.5 mpg while SUVS, pickup trucks and vans need to meet 22.2 mpg.

In the past, Dingell and automakers have resisted increases in the so-called CAFE rules. But Dingell has joined with manufacturing and farm groups this year to support more moderate increases in the requirements.

Their coalition has opposed a proposal by Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., who wants to require a fleet average of 35 mpg by 2018. Markey has led the charge to include CAFE in the energy bill.

'On this he is a great representative of Detroit and I try to be a great representative of Massachusetts,' Markey said of Dingell. 'On this issue we disagree -- but respectfully.'

Legislative gamesmanship is nothing new to Dingell, who succeeded his father in Congress in 1955 and has shaped several significant pieces of legislation during the last half-century.

When the House passed the first Medicare law in 1965, Dingell presided over the chamber. In the 1970s he developed the Endangered Species Act and the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, which created the fuel efficiency rules.

In 1990, Dingell's committee helped push through amendments to the Clean Air Act, which created higher air quality standards and targeted acid rain.

When Democrats regained control of the House this year, Dingell reassumed the chairmanship of the committee and had a turf battle with Pelosi over the formation of a panel on global warming, led by Markey.

Dingell bluntly called the Markey committee 'as useful as feathers on a fish.' The panel can hold hearings and recommend legislation, but doesn't have the authority to approve legislation and expires at the end of this Congress. A Pelosi spokesman said the speaker 'values his experience.'

With many lawmakers interested in addressing climate change, Dingell has called for a 'cap-and-trade' program to set mandatory caps on carbon emissions and allow businesses to buy and sell allowances. A similar program was used to limit sulfur dioxide, which contributes to acid rain.

From the onset, his role has drawn suspicion from some environmental groups, who worry that he is too closely aligned with industry and may not prescribe a system that goes far enough.

'So far it looks like he's still willing to put the auto industry interests ahead of the country and that's a problem,' said David Friedman, research director of the clean vehicles program of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Dingell surprised many when he recently floated a carbon tax on the burning of fossil fuels that emit carbon dioxide. The concept would highlight the cost of the program and would be considered a nonstarter for most lawmakers.

Dingell, however, said in an interview that he wants to develop a comprehensive bill that will require sacrifice from all sectors of the economy.

'I'm going to see to it that no one pays too much and nobody gets away paying too little,' he said.

Dingell often compares the climate change legislation to the Clean Air Act amendments, which passed the House by an overwhelming margin despite hard-fought negotiations. During the process, he reached out to a wide array of industry and environmental groups and helped build consensus.

Most lobbyists and observers consider crafting a cap-and-trade approach to be a monumental undertaking, noting that Congress has never held a major vote on global warming.

'Politically, the clarity of the moment is just not there as to what is possible in the legislative agenda and that is not new to him,' said Phil Sharp, a former Indiana congressman and president of Resources For the Future, a nonprofit environmental policy group.

But Sharp, who served on Dingell's committee, said the chairman has worked through difficult issues before and his experience will help him in the coming months. 'One of his best skills is working through all the ambiguity,' he said.