Amidst the chaos in the Senate over climate legislation, Rep. Ed Markey introduced his climate legislation in the House on Thursday.
House Republican Leader John Boehner (Ohio), hoping to take advantage of apparent disarray within the Democratic Party, has dared Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to push Markey’s bill to the floor. He wrote a letter (PDF) to the speaker calling the bill “reckless and inappropriate,” but urging her to take it to the floor in hopes of inspiring intra-party bickering amongst the Dems.
Markey is chair of the Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming, a panel that Pelosi created when she took over as speaker. Though the Select Committee has no markup privileges, its creation annoyed Energy and Commerce Committee Chair John Dingell (D-Mich.). Now Dingell says he’s planning to introduce his own (likely more industry-friendly) climate legislation, and the House GOP caucus hopes Dingell will get riled up if Pelosi moves on Markey’s legislation first.
A spokesperson for Markey’s office called Boehner’s letter a “stunt.” Pelosi spokesperson Drew Hammill told The Hill that Dingell’s committee will be “taking the lead” on climate change legislation. Hammill also welcomed input from Boehner and any other House Republican leaders, who so far haven’t shown much willingness to collaborate on climate legislation, and pledged that the House would move forward regardless of what happens in the Senate this week.
