Pelosi Takes A Gamble On Climate Change Bill
(AP)
Other Democratic leaders are still working out compromises in the bill, but Pelosi filed the legislation with the House Rules Committee Monday night, Politico reported, meaning the full House of Representatives will vote on the matter. The speaker has said she wanted a vote on the bill before the Congress breaks next week for its July 4 holiday.
"There are some issues still under discussion, but we are confident we can resolve them by the time the bill goes to the floor on Friday," Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill told Politico in an e-mail.
Hammill said Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson both agreed to the vote. Waxman, who led the development of the climate change bill, has been negotiating with Peterson, who wants to ease the burden the bill may place on farmers and rural residents who may face higher electricity costs than urban citizens.
The massive, nearly 1,000-page bill calls for a 17 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020 from 2005 levels and an 83 percent reduction by 2050. The legislation aims to meet that goal by instituting a price on carbon emissions through a "cap-and-trade" system, which would enable industries to buy and trade permits that allow them to emit certain levels of carbon. About 85 percent of the permits would be given away, however -- an example of the significant compromises Waxman has orchestrated to gain broader support for the bill.
While some Democrats are still on the fence, so are some environmental groups, as a result of all the compromises. Greenpeace and other groups have already withdrawn their support for the bill.
Meanwhile, Republicans have protested the cost the legislation would impose on all Americans -- not just farmers.
A recent Congressional Budget Office report, however, projected only a modest average household cost increase of $175 a year after various cost-saving measures included in the bill were taken into account. The poorest households would, in fact, save $40 a year, the report estimated.
Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), a co-sponsor of the bill, compared the cost to "a postage stamp a day."
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See all 40 CommentsAs Arte Johnson would say Pferrrry Eeeenterestink. I've never even heard of the Phanerozoic era before. Seems to cover a whole bunch of time though. A correlation between 18O concentration and temperature - where can I read more?
The so called experts do not have the slightest idea what is actually causing so called Global Warming. Oh wait a minute, this has been going on for millions of years. Maybe the dinosaurs were putting out to much carbon.
You can't compare anything weatherwise happening today to "millions of years ago." When dinosaurs first appeared there was only on continent, Pangea that was centered on the equator. Take that as an example and everything's way cooler than it was.
4. Volcanoes worldwide produce 100 times the polluton of humans
by geminispyder-2009 June 23, 2009 11:43 AM PDT
Comments on these two points - yes the average temperature has been rising since the ice age, but more because of changes in ocean currents than anything else. It's the RATE of change that has increased recently that is most troubling.
Your volcano stat is interesting - I've heard that before, but no mention of a time scale. Volcano vs humans for one day - volcane wins. Volcano for one day, humans for 100 years - not so obvious. Do you have a reference?
Any politician, Democrat, Republican or Independent who votes against this bill should be tarred and feathered. Even if the predictions are not correct, there is absolutely no excuse for supporting pollution, unless of course it is for bribes.
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Humans, by their very nature, have a detrimental effect on the environment. When can we expect your suicide?
by geminispyder-2009 June 23, 2009 11:43 AM PDT
Actually I voted against the recall - I lived in L.A. at the time. Given the choice of paying an extra $275-475 a year (that's $5.29-9.13 a week) on car liscencing OR having no teachers, lousy schools, no state parks, no libraries etc. etc. I'd have paid the extra car tax. Oh, and BTW the deficit is now $41.8 billion and bankruptcy is staring you in the face. Thank you Darrell Issa and his loyal acolytes in Orange County.
And Grey Davis got recalled because of it.
And that worked out real well didn't it.
Have a governor that left the state with a FY2003 $37 billion dollar deficit and force California residents to pay $400-$600 a year on what should be a $125/year for car registration?
Or elect a new governor to work with a legislature that couldn't decide on what to have for lunch?
You tell me what you would've done smart a$$.
So, Pelosi + "cap-and-trade" = all corporations need are tons of money to put out all the crap air they want.
Did I miss something?
Do you think rightwingers think about the millions of poor people who will be displaced by rising sea levels in places like Bangladesh, and Central and South America? Where do they think those people will go, when their property goes underwater?
When the time comes, they'll just pull out their guns and shoot to kill. Killing is what they're good at.
The Vanuatu in the Pacific was predicted to erode back in the 14th century.
By who?? The island wasn't even DISCOVERED until the 18th century (Louis Antoine de Bougainville in 1768). You really think that the natives knew about the rest of the world, let alone global warning?? And then Hawaii - where did you get that idea from?? If anything the Big Island is getting larger - it's a volcano. You really MUST stop reading imarightwingnutcase.com.
However because of volcanoes and other natural causes, land will form again elsewhere.
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