Pelosi seeks global warming committee

Pelosi seeks global warming committee

	Published : Fri, 19 Jan 2007 01:09 By : Agencies Print this Story

WASHINGTON (AFX) - 0118dv--pelosi--100--hours

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sought to create a special committee Thursday in an effort to jump-start long-delayed government efforts to deal with global warming and produce a bill by Independence Day.

Pelosi, D-Calif., said the committee would hold hearings and recommend legislation on how to reduce greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide generated by fossil fuels, that most scientists blame for a gradual warming of the earth's climate.

'I promise to do everything in my power to achieve energy independence ... and to stop global warming,' Pelosi said.

Pelosi set a goal of the Fourth of July for finishing a global warming bill that would 'truly declare our energy independence.'

The committee will be led by Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., who shares Pelosi's goals, said a Democratic leadership aide, speaking on condition of anonymity because Pelosi had yet to announce her choice.

Actual bill-drafting duties will be left to committees that have a say in the matter. That could be several because global climate change could affect virtually everything.

Pelosi's move increases the likelihood that Democrats will propose far tougher constraints on greenhouse gas pollution than the Bush administration wants. She also has outflanked for now -- and angered -- a few Democrats who head important House committees.

'We should probably name it the committee on world travel and junkets,' said Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which overseas the Clean Air Act and the Environmental Protection Agency.

'We are just empowering a bunch of enthusiastic amateurs to go around and make speeches and make commitments that will be very difficult to honor,' said Dingell, a champion of the auto industry, which could be required to producing cleaner-burning and more fuel efficient vehicles.

Dingell, the House's longest-serving member at age 80, long has viewed environmental legislation as being his domain.

'They are going to get under the feet of and interfere with those who are trying to do a decent job of legislating,' Dingell said in an interview with The Associated Press. 'I'm unaware of anything they will do that will be of any value.'

Reminded that Markey was one of his proteges, Dingell replied: 'I won't be able to help him on this undertaking, now will I?'

Dingell convened Democratic members of his committee for two hours of private talks Wednesday. He said they agreed to send a delegation to meet with Pelosi and iron out who controls what.

'We are all jealous of our jurisdiction,' Rep. Gene Green, D-Texas, said after the meeting.

Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., said the new committee builds pressure on the Bush administration, Dingell's panel and other members of Congress. It creates 'an opportunity to go from denial into what needs to be done in the future,' he said.

Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., withheld judgment until he learned more. Rangel would have jurisdiction on any tax legislation aimed at affecting industry behavior on the environment.

'The appointees are totally unknown,' he said. 'I understand that they will have no legislative authority.'

Environmentalists hailed Pelosi's decision as a momentum-builder to challenge the administration.

'This is a really gutsy move by the speaker,' said Philip Clapp, president of National Environmental Trust. 'Action on global warming is so urgent that the speaker has probably taken the only course that could produce a comprehensive bill before the 2008 elections swamp the political process.'

Associated Press writer Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this report.