About time this happened, that is:
WASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, intent on putting global warming atop the Democratic agenda, is shaking up traditional committee fiefdoms dominated by some of Congress’ oldest and most powerful members.
She’s moving to create a special committee to recommend legislation for cutting greenhouse gases, most likely to be chaired by Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., a Democratic leadership aide said Wednesday. […]
The move, to some degree, would sidestep two of the House’s most powerful Democratic committee bosses, in shaping what’s expected to be at least a yearlong debate on global warming:
_ Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell of Michigan, a defender of the auto industry and at 80 the longest serving member of the House. […]
A new committee would give Pelosi a vehicle to push a regulatory scheme for reducing greenhouse gases and pit her against President Bush, who plans to outline his global warming approach in his State of the Union next week. Bush has repeatedly opposed any mandatory reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, instead advocating voluntary approaches and research on new technologies. Pelosi has supported mandatory reductions with specific target dates for achieving them.
“It’s an issue that the speaker thinks is critical to address,” said Pelosi spokeswoman Jennifer Crider.
I don’t know about you, but this is a good sign that the Democratic leadership is taking the issue of global warming seriously. If left in Dingell’s hands as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Commmittee, nothing would be done, because of his obvious ties to the American Auto Industry based in Detroit.
Those corporate dinosaurs will continue their misguided and failing strategy of producing gas guzzlers despite the fact that Toyota is eating their lunch and dinner, and is moving in on breakfast, too. You know, Toyota, the company with the highest number of hybrid vehicles sold in America (191,742 ) last year? The only major car company who is expanding capacity in North America right now? Yes. That Toyota.
The last thing we need is Dingell stalling on emission controls to protect American car makers so they may to continue their failing policies. Thank you Nancy Pelosi. Good luck to you.
