Earth Equity News

Waxman Plans to Challenge Dingell for Chair of Energy and Commerce Committee.By Steven Mufson, WashPost, November 6, 2008. "In the first sign of Democratic intraparty strife since the election, Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) has told colleagues that he plans to challenge the House's most senior member, Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), for the chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Waxman, who is chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, is the No. 2 ranking member of Energy and Commerce and one of the most liberal members of the House. In three decades as a lawmaker, Waxman, 69, has been a leading supporter of universal health care, tobacco regulation and environmental protections... Dingell is an institution within an institution. He has served as a member of the House since 1955 when, at age 29, he filled the seat left vacant when his father died. He also supports national health insurance and environmental measures, but he may be best known as a defender of the nation's ailing automobile industry."