by Brad Johnson.
Cross-posted from the Wonk Room.
The House Energy Committee is seeing an intense leadership fight, as four different Republicans are vying to take over the influential post from Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman (Calif.), who shepherded progressive climate legislation through the House in 2009, before it foundered in the U.S. Senate. The four candidates—Reps. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), John Shimkus (R-Ill.), Joe Barton (R-Texas), and Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.)—all want to reopen the floodgates for a deregulated fossil fuel industry. But precisely how reactionary the committee will become—whether investigations will be launched against climate scientists and all clean-energy efforts killed—could depend on which fossil-fueled Republican wins the intraparty fight.
The frontrunner Upton is the only candidate who doesn't explicitly question the science of man-made global warming, though he is opposed to any policy action. It remains to be seen if the new GOP caucus—dominated by climate deniers—will accept Upton's marginally realist stance, or if denial of science will be a litmus test.
Fred UptonRep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) is the most senior member eligible to take over the committee. In 1990, Upton voted for the Clean Air Act, enacting a cap-and-trade system to limit the sulfur pollution that causes acid rain. Now, however, although Upton admits "we need to reduce emissions" of greenhouse pollution, he opposes "cap-and-tax," as he said in April 2009:
A cap-and-tax, cap-and-trade will essentially kick American families when they're down. I do believe that we need to reduce emissions, but it needs to be done in a common sense way that takes into account the economic and global realities of the issue.
Appearing at the Copenhagen climate conference last December, Upton reiterated his position that greenhouse pollution should be be lowered without explicit limits:
rest at http://www.grist.org/article/2010-11-05-gop-climate-deniers-vie-to-run-house-energy-committee
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