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Climate Change Bill - B. Obama |
"The house has passed the most vital energy and environment bill in our nation's history," said Ed Markey, one of the bill's authors. "Scientists say global warming is a dangerous man-made problem. Today we are saying clean energy will be the American-made solution."
Even the bill's most pitiless opponents recognized its importance in transforming US energy use. "This could be the defining bill of this Congress," said Republican house leader John Boehner.
The bill must still clear the Senate – where it faces even more intimidating odds – before it can be signed into law. But the vote was indubitably an important victory for Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress. For Obama, it was a first step towards salvation of one of his signature movement promises, within six months of coming to the White House.
The vote also conveys a significant boost to the prospects of reaching an agreement for international action on climate change at Copenhagen this year.
"I think it will have a very positive impact on the Copenhagen process because the international negotiations have largely been stymied by countries waiting to see what the US will do," said Jennifer Haverkamp, the director of international climate policy for the Environmental Defense Fund. "Passage of the house bill is just one step in that process, but it is such a crucial step and a high hurdle."
In accumulation to establishing a cap and trade system that is the heart of the 1,200-page bill, the measures accepted by the house would necessitate power companies to produce 15% of their electricity from wind and solar energy.
But the bill's passage was hard-won. By the time of the vote, the Democratic leadership had made numerous major allowances to win support from party refuseniks, weakening the bill. Several environmental associations admitted they were disenchanted. Greenpeace went so far as to call on Congress to reject it.
Even after giving ground on the bill, the White House and Democrats were forced to go to unusual lengths to gather enough support for passage. Obama put his personal status on the line – making three appeals in the space of 48 hours this week for Congress to deliver the bill.
The White House also oversaw a livid public relations effort to sell the sweeping package of energy reforms as a jobs creation program.
Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker, and her lieutenants lobbied till the last minute to round up final stragglers, but heroic measures were needed. Patrick Kennedy of Massachusetts, who checked in to a rehab clinic two weeks ago, returned to Congress; so did John Lewis of Georgia despite having surgery only days ago. Forty-four Democrats – mostly from conventional and rural areas – voted against the measure. However, eight Republicans voted for the bill, breaking their party's blanket opposition to action on climate change, and allowing Obama to claim a share of bipartisan support for his energy reforms.
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