Clean Energy & Climate Legislation: Liveblogging Tuesday's House E&C Hearings

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Tuesday April 21, 2009 · 1:05 PM PDT

2009/04/21 · 13:05

I'm taking notes on today's House Energy & Commerce Committee hearing on the draft clean energy & climate legislation introduced by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA).

My notes are below. Please note that if it's not in quotation marks, it's my hasty summary of remarks, not a direct quote.

5:10pm: Updated with more opening statements, the latest round compiled for us by the National Wildlife Federation's tag team partner on hearing coverage this week, environmental communications consultant Bill Hodges.

Target Global Warming

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Wednesday April 15, 2009 · 12:52 PM PDT

2009/04/15 · 12:52

It will be the most significant federal climate action in American history.

That’s how the National Wildlife Federation’s Joe Mendelson, our director for global warming policy, describes the announcement expected as soon as this week from the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA is reportedly set to formally declare global warming pollution a danger – a threat to public health subject to enforcement under the Clean Air Act.

Joe was one of the attorneys who drafted the original complaint that led to the Supreme Court’s finding two years ago that the EPA has the power under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide as pollution. That decision set the stage for the EPA’s expected ruling.

Here’s more analysis from Joe:

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Friday March 13, 2009 · 1:58 PM PDT

2009/03/13 · 13:58

Let me first say what this diary is not. This is not a debate about carbon tax vs. carbon cap. This is not a discussion of messaging strategy.

This is just a simple breakdown of the Congressional debate on climate and energy legislation that lies ahead. Where we are, where we're going.

Hmmm. I bet you're gonna nitpick this to death in comments no matter what I say, aren't you? Ah, screw it, let's just do this:

Target Global Warming

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Wednesday February 04, 2009 · 1:30 PM PST

2009/02/04 · 13:30

There’s been a closer look this week at the natural resources investments in the Senate’s economic recovery package, with some senators suggesting they should be slashed to reduce the cost of the bill. What seems to be lost in some of the discussions is that those investments are some of the best, fastest job creators we can offer up.

For every one billion dollars in stimulus funding related to natural resources, at least 20,000 jobs will be created. As written, the Senate’s economic recovery package would invest $3.5 billion in wildlife and habitat restoration, sustaining at least 70,000 jobs. These shovel-ready projects create jobs while making a down payment on safeguarding communities and businesses that rely on healthy natural resources in this new era of global warming. If we put off our support, we stand to lose not only the natural services they provide, but also the economic pillars they sustain.

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Monday January 12, 2009 · 8:37 AM PST

2009/01/12 · 08:37

As Congress takes up President-elect Barack Obama’s economic recovery package, America has a unique opportunity to make dramatic changes in our energy economy that will create jobs, help us regain our competitive edge in the world and confront global warming. Will we invest in products of the past, like more highway lanes that promote more oil consumption? Or will we invest in technologies of the future, like clean energy, plug-in hybrid cars, and green schools?

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Wednesday July 23, 2008 · 9:38 AM PDT

2008/07/23 · 09:38

Big Oil lobbyists will rush down the Capitol steps today like kids on Christmas morning and they won’t believe their eyes. Letting them drill for more oil in more places and only hot air on energy efficiency – House Republicans want to give them everything Big Oil has asked for.

Big Oil has been good this year to candidates of both parties, but particularly to Republicans. According to OpenSecrets.org, just three oil companies – BP, Chevron and ExxonMobil – have contributed $1,067,139 to Republican candidates in the 2008 election cycle alone. But go back to 1990 and those three Big Oil companies have given an astounding $19,909,655 to Republican candidates.

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Friday June 06, 2008 · 1:07 PM PDT

2008/06/06 · 13:07

Though an attempt to break through Senate Republican leadership’s filibuster fell short, today’s historic U.S. Senate vote on the Climate Security Act, the strongest global warming bill ever acted on by Congress, creates huge momentum for climate action heading into 2009. With both presidential candidates backing the Climate Security Act’s cap-and-trade framework for cutting America’s greenhouse gas emissions, convergence is coming between Congressional and White House leadership.

The good news is that many senators who have previously buried their head in the sand and pretended global warming doesn’t exist now acknowledge the problem is real. The bad news is they are now throwing sand in the gears to prevent Congress from actually doing anything about it.

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Thursday June 05, 2008 · 7:51 AM PDT

2008/06/05 · 07:51

Late last night during the Senate debate on the Climate Security Act, long after most reporters had gone home for the night, Majority Leader Harry Reid made a startling revelation:

[W]e have been provided with a copy of the page from the Republican playbook on how they intend to thwart the body from acting on this important legislation. This was provided to us by a lobbyist involved in Republican strategy meetings.

Among the instructions in the playbook? "[T]he focus is much more on making political points than amending the bill."

The full unofficial transcript of Reid's remarks follow:

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Wednesday June 04, 2008 · 10:30 AM PDT

2008/06/04 · 10:30

UPDATE 3:58pm: Still reading. They have a rotation of clerks going to make sure they don't kill their voices. What a mockery of the legislative process.

As I write this, I'm watching the Senate clerk on CSPAN2 reading the entire 491-page Climate Security Act out loud. Both Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) have tried to waive the reading but were denied. Twenty minutes in, we're still on section titles.

This is the Senate GOP leadership's response to climate change - hot air. Clearly, they're concerned the bill is gaining support from both Democrats and Republicans as the debate was proceeding toward amendments.

Gas prices have shot up an incredible 250 percent since President Bush took office as Congressional Republican leadership has fought any effort to reduce our dependence on foreign oil or improve our fuel efficiency. But now as the GOP denies and delays its way through the Climate Security Act debate, we’re to believe a possible 1 percent annual rise in gas prices is a reason for permanent paralysis on climate change legislation?

The real stunning numbers come in the gains towards energy security the Climate Security Act would bring.

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Tuesday June 03, 2008 · 11:05 AM PDT

2008/06/03 · 11:05

On Monday, the U.S. Senate opened debate on the Climate Security Act (Boxer-Warner-Lieberman Substitute Amendment, S. 3036). The motion to proceed passed easily on a 74-14 vote, an indication that the vast majority of senators rejected the roadblock approach of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK).

Nevertheless, Minority Leader McConnell launched a strategy of delaying the serious debate and votes on amendments to this legislation by forcing 30 hours of debate before the first votes begin. The stall tactics are a sure sign that the minority leader intends to make Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid choose between a lengthy floor fight on global warming and other pressing senate bills before the Fourth of July recess.

While the debate about the Climate Security Act is still up in the air, with both sides uncertain how close the bill is to the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster, one thing is clear: the senators willing to side with Sen. Inhofe, who infamously claimed global warming was a "hoax," is down to 14. Republicans deserted Sen. Inhofe and Minority Leader McConnell in droves.

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Tuesday April 15, 2008 · 12:43 PM PDT

2008/04/15 · 12:43

This just in from the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush is giving a Rose Garden speech on Wednesday on climate change to lay out the way he thinks the U.S. can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

White House press secretary Dana Perino says that Bush will not outline a specific proposal, but instead will spell out a strategy for long-term goals for curbing emissions.

Bush wants every major economy, including China and India, to establish a national goal for cutting the emissions believed responsible for global warming. In his remarks, he also will talk about legislative proposals on Capitol Hill that the administration has expressed opposition to, as well as regulatory issues.

What do we think he'll say? The NYTimes' Andy Revkin takes the optimistic view that he may be seeking a climate legacy. Treehugger, on the other hand, summarizes Bush's new plan as "watch me pretend to care."

Pay No Attention to Footnote Number 5

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Tuesday April 01, 2008 · 6:36 AM PDT

2008/04/01 · 06:36

Two industry groups, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the American Council for Capital Formation (ACCF), have been relentlessly hyping an "independent study" claiming that the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act will destroy the economy. Massive job losses! Huge increases in energy prices! Panic!

Why was so much attention paid to the study? It came from Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), a leading science adviser to the federal government. Sounds credible, right?

But there's just one problem - SAIC has disassociated itself from the results. Why? Because ACCF and NAM had their thumbs on the scale:

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Pay No Attention to Footnote Number 5