June 18, 2007 – 10:39 p.m.
House Energy and Commerce Chairman
But the Michigan Democrat made it clear that his move was a tactical retreat, not a surrender. In a memo to committee members Monday, Dingell said he stripped out the most contentious provisions, including proposed emissions rules opposed by Pelosi, to expedite action on the draft energy bill, but that he plans to resurrect the proposals when the House writes a climate change bill in the fall.
Pelosi, D-Calif., and Dingell have been feuding for several months over climate change and energy legislation, as the new speaker works to exert her authority over committee chairmen. Dingell, a savvy veteran of the congressional battlefields, is famously protective of his committee’s turf and a defender of the auto industry crucial to his state’s economy.
But Dingell crossed Pelosi with language in the original draft he co-authored with Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee Chairman
Pelosi and Dingell met Friday to work toward agreement on an energy package that could be moved to the House floor by July 4, in what the speaker has declared “Energy Independence Day.”
“The Fourth is our goal so we’re still on track to report these out before the recess,” said committee spokeswoman Jodi Seth. “[Dingell and Pelosi] agreed that this was the best way to work on a bipartisan bill — by taking out some of the toughest stuff. The items that were removed were the most complex and controversial, the problems that require time. But they’ll all come back in the climate change discussion. They’re still on the table.”
Although Dingell’s new draft appeared to yield to the Speaker’s main objections, a spokesman for Pelosi said Monday evening that a final deal had not been reached.
“The Speaker and Chairman Dingell are continuing discussions on his proposal,” the spokesman said. “But the Speaker has made no decisions at this time.”
In addition to the state emissions pre-emption, Dingell also deleted language that would circumvent a recent Supreme Court ruling that the Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to regulate emissions of carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas thought to contribute to global warming.
The new draft also dropped incentives for production of liquid coal, a fuel that supporters say would ease dependence on foreign oil, but that critics say could increase greenhouse gas emissions. Most Republicans generally support the liquid coal measures, as do coal-state Democrats like Boucher.
Republicans who were cautiously supportive of Dingell’s earlier drafts expressed disappointment at the changes.
“The memo indicates a policy of sitting on our hands until [Democrats] can sort out their internal political problems,” said a House Republican aide. “Republicans don’t think America should have to wait until next fall for an energy bill.”
The dispute over the bill was just the latest chapter in an ongoing feud between Dingell and Pelosi.
The speaker angered Dingell when, shortly after taking over the top House job in January, she created a special committee on energy independence and global warming, threatening to weaken his panel’s influence on those issues. Dingell and other veteran House Democrats, including Oversight and Government Reform Chairman
But Pelosi has made it clear she intends to assert her authority. At a meeting with key aides last week, according to an attendee, Pelosi said, “Let me be clear, we have a united caucus and I will not bring a bill to the floor that divides us.”
On this round, anyway, many lawmakers expect the Speaker to get her way.
“No one wants a bloodbath,” said a Democratic Energy and Commerce Committee member.
Jonathan Allen contributed to this article. A version of this story originally appeared in CQ Greensheets.