Pelosi/Waxman/ Dingell Agree On Climate Change Committee To Study(?) Climate Change

[RestoreGore]

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070206/UPDATE/702060414
excerpt:
Dingell, Pelosi reach deal on climate change committee

David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau

John Dingell and Henry Waxman's letter to Nancy Pelosi about the proposed select committee on climate change and energy.

WASHINGTON -- A deal to create a select committee studying climate change and energy has been reached between the powerful head of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

In a letter to Pelosi Monday, U.S. Rep John Dingell, D-Dearborn, who heads the Energy and Commerce committee, and U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, who chairs the Oversight and Government Reform committee, agreed not to challenge the creation of a select committee on climate change.

The committee will only last until Oct. 30, 2008 and "is not a committee with legislative authority," they wrote.

In the letter Dingell and Waxman were conciliatory.

"We appreciate your assurances that to avoid duplication, legislative committees of jurisdiction should have the primary call on witnesses where there is a potential conflict," they wrote. "We are pleased that we have been able to successfully resolve questions concerning the authorities and responsibilities (of the committee.)"

Some in Congress had viewed the creation of a new committee as an end-run around Dingell, an ally of the auto industry. Many committee chairs -- already irritated that Pelosi has adopted term limits for the committee heads -- saw the move as an effort to usurp their authority.

end of excerpt.
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I'm sorry, but this boggles my mind. What are they studying? Watching drowning polar bears? Watching Indonesian islands sink? Watching the drought in Australia that is burning the land, killing the cattle, and leaving vast areas without water? It is REAL, it is HERE, and the IPCC (whose predictions were even called "positive") and other scientific organizations have credibly backed it up. So why are they now going to waste more time "studying" something that is already a fact? And the fact that this committee only goes until October 28 and has NO legislative authority leads me to believe that Congress will once again make this, the most crucial crisis humanity is facing nothing but a dog and pony show.

Dear God, how I hope Mr. Gore lays into ALL of them this March when he goes up on that hill to give them a MORAL wake up call on what they are doing by wasting so much damn time worrying more about whose feet are going to be stepped on, or working to undermine one another's "authority." I am convinced there will never be political consensus on this issue in Washington DC because both sides have done so much to polarize this crisis by making it a partisan political issue as if each one of them owns it. They will spend more time backbiting and trying to be the one who gets the attention now, while the affects of what we are doing continue unabated as the clock ticks. It is insane.

Believe me, I tried VERY hard to have faith in this Congress, but I don't have it anymore, and I won't have it next year no matter who is the new leader of their military industrial complex, because as usual it appears that all they are doing so far is going through the motions.

[montanacowboy]

1. DESTRUCTION OF THE PLANET BEING OVERSEEN

BY COMMITEE

[RestoreGore]

2. BINGO

And it's not like they haven't known about this for THIRTY YEARS,and Al Gore can attest to that and I hope he does next month. The time for niceties is also over.

[Dogmudgeon]

4. BUT IT KEEPS IT IN THE NEWS, DOESN'T IT?

IT SURE IS NOISY IN HERE!

--p!

[Dead_Parrot]

5. ABOUT HALF PAST NINE

PARDON?

[Dogmudgeon]

6. SORRY, I DON'T SMOKE

HOW MANY EXOJOULES DOES THAT THING USE, ANYWAY?

--p!

[Kolesar]

3. We/They have to sort out carbon trading and carbon taxes

However, they don't have to wait to implement:
Auto efficiency
Electrical efficiency
Money and tax incentives for alternative energy, etc.

[YankeyMCC]

7. There's are great leaders in action again

:sarcasm:

If I remember correctly Ed Markey is to be the lead on this committee. I never expected much from this committee but they've totally declawed it now and that's a shame because I think Ed would've been a someone pushing for action if he'd been given the right vote of confidence from House leadership.

Now they are just making sure he gets the message to just "study" and that if he does get a crazy notion of pushing for action that they've protected the likes of Dingell from having to go against their home-town industry - or rather to be seen as going against them.

Hey Speaker and the rest of the house leadership. Leadership doesn't mean maintain the status quo it means helping us all through problems. Dingle if your home-town industry is threatened by the changing reality of the world the answer isn't to continue to protect their harmful product - Help them find a NEW way or rather Help the people of your community "F" the corporations except if they are willing to find new ways to make money and employee people in the community.