Pelosi Won't Push Climate Change Until Consensus Reached
Speaker says measure won't place economy at global disadvantage.
Compiled by staff
Published: Apr 3, 2009
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., pledged Thursday that any climate change measure the House passes this year won't overly burden utility ratepayers or businesses. During her weekly news conference, Pelosi also made clear that she will not push climate change legislation until Democrats reach a consensus on their approach, which could take months, at best.
Pelosi's comments came just two days after leaders of the Energy and Commerce Committee announced a plan that would cap emissions of greenhouse gases, distribute pollution "allowances" and set up a trading system for those credits. But some Ways and Means Committee Democrats favor imposing a tax on carbon dioxide emissions rather than a cap-and-trade approach.
Pelosi said she wanted to be sure that whatever the House passes does not place the U.S. economy at a competitive disadvantage in the global economy. Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, made it clear that Democrats can expect no help from Republicans. He promised no compromise.
"In the middle of a recession," Boehner said, "You can't throw a wet blanket on the economy. You will smother it."
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