Waxman Is Wary of Climate Legislation
In a call this week to reporters, Rep. Henry Waxman, Democratic chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, conceded that despite momentum from the public and private sectors, including the highly publicized support of 10 major corporations, Republicans "can succeed in stopping us" from passing climate change legislation.
Such action, though, may result "in even more draconian legislation" in the future, he said. Striking a series of cautious notes, Waxman, an ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said Democrats are seeking tough legislation centered upon a cap-and-trade system of greenhouse gases.
"I don't think that any legislation that gets through Congress that does not have an emissions cap and using market forces to reduce emissions makes any sense," Waxman said. "We've got to have emissions caps to make sure the problem gets no worse."
Waxman said a safety valve that would allow some emitters out of the system would likely be part of any successful scheme, but it "would have to be there not [for emitters] to escape requirements but to deal with exigent circumstances." Such a bill could pass, Waxman said, but the congressman conceded that it will take leadership from the White House "or the Republicans, particularly in the Senate, to show some independence."
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