Dems Weigh Climate Floor Debate Before July 4. By Darren Samuelsohn, ClimateWire, June 2, 2009. "Seeking to maintain momentum from last month's markup, House Democrats are considering an aggressive push this month for floor passage of energy and global warming legislation... Democratic leaders must choose between a floor debate during the next four weeks on their comprehensive bill, (pdf), or waiting until after the July 4 recess. Hill leadership aides say no decisions have been made, but the topic is atop the agenda for today's regularly scheduled meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and other top Democrats... House Agriculture Committee Democrats have several problems with the push for action on a comprehensive energy bill, starting with how to define biomass as renewable energy and Wall Street's involvement in carbon trading. Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) also opposes indirect land-use considerations for biofuels, an issue that is not specifically mentioned in the legislation... As for the Ways and Means Committee, it is unclear what Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) wants to do with the energy legislation. Rangel clouded the picture last month when he told reporters that Obama's health care agenda would be a higher priority than the climate bill. But Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), another committee member and a top Pelosi ally, said he did not expect Rangel to perform 'radical surgery' on the Waxman-Markey bill. Rangel could just focus in on provisions of the Energy and Commerce Committee's bill that deal with international trade and the auctioning of 15% of the allowances where the funding is dedicated toward low-income consumers. He also could go much deeper and prompt a sweeping debate over whether Congress should enact a carbon tax rather than a cap-and-trade program."
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