Nice Timing...
Nancy Pelosi* has decided to create an new committee in the House.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sought to create a special committee Thursday in an effort to jump-start long-delayed government efforts to deal with global warming and produce a bill by Independence Day.
Pelosi, D-Calif., said the committee would hold hearings and recommend legislation on how to reduce greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide generated by fossil fuels, that most scientists blame for a gradual warming of the earth's climate.
"I promise to do everything in my power to achieve energy independence ... and to stop global warming," Pelosi said.
While driving to work Tuesday, in the Northern Central Valley of California, the temperature readout on my car read 18 degrees! Every night for the past week and a half the local news has led their broadcasts with weather updates of Freeze 07™, and just yesterday Schwarzenegger went looking for federal aid for citrus farmers.
While I may not buy into the whole "man made global warming" theory, it's all well and good if Pelosi wants to make it an issue. What gets me is that the Republicans lost to someone whose political timing is so bad that she announced this right at the tail end of a cold snap that has devastated the entire country. Good God! At least wait till early March, when its 90 degrees.
On another note, the best quote from the article comes from John Dingle of Michigan:
"We should probably name it the committee on world travel and junkets," said Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which overseas the Clean Air Act and the Environmental Protection Agency.
"We're just empowering a bunch of enthusiastic amateurs to go around and make speeches and make commitments that will be very difficult to honor," said Dingell[...]"
A Democrat with a sense of humor? Who knew?
*Will someone please help me come up with a good nickname for her - other that SanFran Nan? Your help is appreciated...
Mr. Dingell is no doubt slightly miffed that Speaker Pelosi decided to circumvent him by creating a special committee. Since Dingell has always been cool to the idea of working to mitigate climate change, he should be grateful that Pelosi didn't simply oust him as chair of his committee; she decided to finesse it instead.
As for her timing, I say good for her for taking action when she was ready instead of hesitating until some opportune heat wave came along. We've dithered long enough and people who pay attention (too few, I admit) know that we're talking about long-term trends, not day-to-day cold snaps or heat spikes.
And if you need a good nickname for Pelosi, might I suggest "Madame Speaker"? I've been enjoying the sound of that since early November.
Posted by: Zeno | January 22, 2007 at 14:38