Democrats Push Climate Change To Front Burner Strategy
WSJ ^ | January 18, 2007 | JOHN J. FIALKA and DAVID ROGERS




The new Democratic-led Congress is trying to put its mark on one of the most contentious environmental and economic problems within reach: climate change...


...Speaker Nancy Pelosi is moving to ramp up debates on energy and how to curb so-called greenhouse gases, which most scientists believe are accelerating global warming by trapping the sun's heat in the atmosphere. But the Californian already is discovering how controversial any effort will be -- even within her own party. Ms. Pelosi is expected to announce today that she is creating a select committee...

Her strategy is to raise the profile of the issue and press for action by early summer. In an interview last evening, Ms. Pelosi said she saw energy independence and climate-change legislation as part of the next phase of the Democratic agenda...


"Tomorrow, we finish our 100 hours, and I will talk about what comes next, and included in that is energy independence. Climate change is part of energy independence," she said...


By raising the issues' profile, Democrats say Ms. Pelosi will be better able to put pressure on the White House... But her effort is angering committee chairmen less eager to move quickly, particularly powerful Michigan Rep. John Dingell. The Michigan lawmaker has expressed his ire at what he considers an intrusion into his House Energy and Commerce Committee's jurisdiction...


Bills already circulating in the Senate have in common a mandatory cap on emissions, a step that, according to the White House, President Bush isn't prepared to advocate... However, industry and environmental groups see Mr. Bush as a potential broker who could help shape a consensus, particularly in the Senate, where 60 votes would be needed to overcome a filibuster promised by Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Inhofe.


The effort has enormous implications for American businesses and manufacturers...


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