Waxman, Markey Announce Breakthrough on Climate Change [Swindle] Bill - Roll Call

Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee have reached a deal on the most contentious aspects of cap-and-trade legislation for carbon emissions and plan to unveil the bill on Thursday, Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) said Tuesday night.

“We have resolved a good number of the issues,” Waxman said after a meeting with committee Democrats, adding that the bill remains on track to clear his panel next week. Opening statements are planned for Thursday with a marathon markup beginning on Monday.

“I am optimistic. I believe we will have the votes to pass the bill [next week],” Waxman said.

Waxman had to compromise with Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) on one of his key goals —the overall level of carbon reductions by 2020. Waxman had wanted a 20 percent cut; Boucher has worried such a steep cut would outpace the development of new technologies like carbon capture from coal-fired power plants. They settled on a 17 percent cut instead.

Waxman also agreed to give utilities free initial allocations on nearly all of their emissions. Boucher had sought to give utilities the credits to avoid rate hikes for consumers.

Seattle Environmental Policy Examiner: Rush Limbaugh, global warming, and susceptible conservatives

To express pride in the mass distribution of ignorance and undermining societal response to global warming, is a badge of honor that conservative talking heads wear proudly, because they have been greatly successful at it.
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The real tragedy in all of this war on science by Fox’s liberal-hating political posse is that people, who are normally rational in all other regards, are so hungry to denigrate the opposition, that they succumb to the conservative-hyping ideology…without challenging a single word.