Politico----
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) has overcome one of the last big obstacles standing in the path of his landmark climate-change bill, cutting a deal with Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, who sought greater protections in the bill for farmers and other rural interests.
Their agreement sets the stage for a vote Friday in the House.
Under the deal, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will oversee the offset program for farmers, and the House will seek further guidance from the Obama administration about the appropriate role for the EPA. And Waxman has agreed to ask the EPA to roll back its new requirements that farmers offset rural land developed in other countries. Both were major sticking points for rural members and the many agriculture associations opposed to the bill.
"We have an agreement, and we're moving forward on Friday," Waxman told reporters on Tuesday evening after he and Peterson met with moderate Democrats in the Blue Dog Coalition. "We're going to pass this bill."
Asked if he would support the measure after a drawn-out negotiation with Waxman, Peterson said, "Yes."
Both chairmen were planning to walk their colleagues through the details of their agreement during a Tuesday night caucus meeting and both promised to reach out to fellow Democrats until they have sufficient support for the overarching bill.
"I think we will have the majority to pass the bill," Waxman said.
The Energy and Commerce chairman also believes his allies in the environmental community will remain supportive, even though some groups were fighting against the concessions he made this week.
"This is a good environmental bill," Waxman said.
View Larger Map
Sources: Politico, EPA, Waterways News, Google Maps
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment