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Friday, June 08, 2007

Democrats Failing on CO2 Regulation: Part 2

This morning, Reg•Watch blogged about a proposal from leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee which would prevent vehicle greenhouse gas emissions regulation.

A BNA news service (subscription) article today proves Democrats are in disarray on what to do about greenhouse gas regulation. Some Committee Democrats are trying to derail the aforementioned proposal. The proposal also runs counter to the agenda of House Speaker Pelosi and will likely result in infighting by Democrats on the House floor.

Separately, some Democrats are critical of Pelosi's July deadline for energy legislation, according to the article. Both Democrats and Republicans would like to have more time.

There is no excuse for needing more time to develop ideas to solve our nation's energy crisis. A legislative solution was one of the Democrats' campaign promises last November. Democrats should have been working on concrete proposals long before their sweeping election victory. (It's not as if this is a new problem.) A myriad of bills have already been proposed. It's time to start working.

By now, almost everyone realizes greenhouse gases pose a threat to society. To address the problem, America needs a strong statutory framework within which regulation can occur. The 110th Congress should provide one.