Pelosi settles battle with Dingell over special panel on climate change

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT/AP: Pelosi Settles Battle Over Climate Panel
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: February 6, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has agreed to a compromise that ends a three-week turf battle with one of her most powerful and senior committee chairmen over a special panel on climate change.

Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the most senior member of the House, had strongly objected to creation of the select committee that Pelosi said would put added focus on the need to deal with global warming....

***

Under the agreement, the new committee -- to be chaired by Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass. -- will hold hearings and recommend legislation, but will have no authority to approve legislation. It also would expire at the end of this Congress.

Standing committees, such as Dingell's energy panel, will have first shot at witnesses if there is a conflict, and the special panel must consult with Pelosi's office before issuing subpoenas....

***

In announcing the new committee, Pelosi, D-Calif., said she simply wanted to show that Democrats are giving climate change the priority it deserves, promising legislation on the matter by the July Fourth recess.

But many in the House saw it as a way for Pelosi, who favors aggressive action on climate change, to outflank Dingell, especially as it relates to cutting carbon dioxide emissions from automobiles by requiring more fuel efficient cars.

Dingell, D-Mich., has long opposed efforts in Congress to impose more stringent fuel economy requirements....

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-House-Climate.html

[rgbecker]

1. Keep trying Nancy! n/t

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

2. Sounds like a reasonable compromise among peers. Cheers!

:toast: MKJ

[Canadian_NewDemocrat]

3. as an outsider...

in Canada, it does sound like Pelosi is dedicated to her cause, from what I can tell so far. I do hope she keeps pushing and the voters keep pushing in term. hmmm...what I'm thinking is we need a day of demonstrations to put pressure on our governments to act around the world? Think of it...hundreds of thousands of people marching the world over for the cause of curbing global warming?

[Bozita]

4. Dingell has asked Al Gore to testify. That really surprises me.

last paragraph in the NYT article:

Nevertheless, Dingell has promised to move aggressively on the climate issue, planning a series of hearings beginning next week, and he has asked former Vice President Al Gore, among the loudest voices on the climate issue, to testify.


That's certainly out of character for Dingell. Whenever green issues involving the Big 3 arose in the past, you'd have thought he was a Republican. His wife, Debbie, is a former GM lobbyist.