WASHINGTON – California Rep. Henry Waxman has ousted Rep. John Dingell of Michigan from the chairmanship of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, prompting energy and bioscience groups to issue dire warnings for what changes the more liberal, anti-business Waxman may precipitate.
Dingell, a 53-year House veteran who represents a district in the working-class suburbs of Detroit, has been a staunch defender of the auto makers. He has stood in the way of proposals to more rapidly boost federal gasoline-mileage standards and advocated less aggressive proposals to curb so-called greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, than other Democratic Party leaders.
Waxman is widely expected to make passage of climate change legislation a top priority next year. Last month, he joined more than 150 other House Democrats in outlining “principles” for such legislation, including emissions reductions of at least 15 percent by 2020.
The Energy and Commerce Committee also oversees such critical areas as health care, including biosciences, prompting MichBio CEO Stephen Rapundalo to warn Waxman may hurt the interests of biotechnology.
“Congressman Dingell has been very thoughtful about the many issues important to the bioindustry,” he said. “He understands the need for pragmatic and balanced solutions and not ones motivated by ideology or politics. His departure as Chair of the Energy & Commerce Committee will be a great loss and the resulting new leadership will unfortunately bring an approach that will not be in the best interests of the biotechnology industry nor the patients it serves.
“Instead, we are likely to witness legislative policy initiatives that are misguided, will harm our industry’s ability to compete globally, and raise healthcare costs at a time when we can ill afford it,” Rapundalo said. “Notwithstanding, we will continue to work with Congressman Dingell in the hope that he and others, especially those in the Michigan Congressional delegation, will bring a counterbalance to issues and develop policies that will insure the long-term sustainability of our technology sector.”
The predictions were equally dire from Myron Ebell, Competitive Enterprise Institute Director of Energy and Global Warming Policy:
“This should provide a loud wake-up call to American business leaders that the 111th Congress is not going to play nicely with them on energy rationing policies,” he said. “I hope that those who have counseled that ‘if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,’ will now realize that they are on the menu and they’d better get as far away from the table as quickly as they can. The cap-and-trade bill that Chairman Dingell proposed this fall would dramatically raise energy prices for American consumers and producers. Chairman Waxman, who represents Beverly Hills, introduced a cap-and-trade bill in this Congress that would send us back to the Stone Age.”
Waxman is widely expected to make passage of climate change legislation a top priority next year. Last month, he joined more than 150 other House Democrats in outlining “principles” for such legislation, including emissions reductions of at least 15 percent by 2020.
Dingell had worked closely with auto makers, utilities and business groups to draft legislation that would allow more time to reduce greenhouse gas emissions than proposals by other Democrats. Waxman’s victory cheered environmentalists, but left business representatives glum about the prospect of more demanding and costly climate change legislation.
Waxman’s victory was striking because it is unusual for Congress to set aside traditions of seniority. Dingell will become the longest-serving member in the history of the House of Representatives next February.
The vote reflected the broader divisions within the Democratic caucus. By all accounts, the session was intense and the speeches impassioned. Many Midwestern lawmakers, whose core constituencies are blue-collar and union workers, lined up behind Mr. Dingell. Coastal representatives, whose districts are more focused on information, technology or service jobs, backed Waxman.
There also was a cultural dimension to the battle between the gruff Michigan veteran and the dapper gentleman from Beverly Hills.
With Waxman’s ascent, more leadership changes on the Energy and Commerce Committee are possible. Rep. Edward Markey (D., Mass.) is expected to replace Rep. Rick Boucher (D., Va.,) as chairman of the subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality, which has jurisdiction over legislation involving virtually every form of energy.
Markey has pushed legislation that would effectively halt the permitting of any new coal-fired power plants that lack the technology to capture and permanently sequester the plant’s carbon dioxide emissions. Such technology is believed to be decades from widespread commercial deployment.
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