In the Summer of 2007, frustrated that John Dingell's control of the Energy and Commerce Committee was blocking efforts at reform, Pelosi tried to do an end run. She created the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming and chose Congressman Ed Markey, a strong advocate of climate change legislation, to chair it. But she lost the fight that mattered. Dingell and his allies successfully neutered the new committee. "The select committee is not a committee with legislative authority and that its authority will expire October 30, 2008," read a letter laying out its mandate. Dingell won that battle. A year later, he lost a bigger one. Waxman ran against him for chairmanship of Energy and Commerce, arguing that global warming was too important of an issue to sacrifice beneath Detroit parochialism. Waxman won. And this week, the extent of his -- and Pelosi's -- victory came clear when Waxman took Energy and Commerce's two environmental subcommittees -- the Energy & Air Quality panel and the Environment & Hazardous Materials panel — and merged them into the new Energy and Environment subcommittee. The chair? Ed Markey. And he keeps his select committee. As Dave Roberts comments, this means that the levers of Congress are fully aligned in service of climate change legislation:
This gives Markey a one-two punch: he can craft and help pass climate/energy legislation through the Subcommittee while using the Select Committee to educate other committee chairs about how the issue affects their jurisdictions. I can't think of another committee chair who has the same kind of megaphone with which to drum up support for his own legislation, in the House and among the public.With this move, Pelosi's House further cements itself as the likely force for boldness on climate/energy issues in coming years. The Speaker is by all accounts a sincere and committed greenie. She has Waxman at the helm of the relevant committee. She has Markey running the relevant subcommittee and doing education/advocacy. Dingell and his allies — the go-slow lobby — have been cleared away. All systems are go.
