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Boucher’s role may change in reorganized energy, commerce panel

The successful challenge mounted by California Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman to take the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee away from U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., also poses a potential change in the influential role U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., currently wields within that panel.

House Democrats voted by a 137-122 margin on Thursday to hand Waxman leadership of the key House committee. Boucher has been serving as chairman of the panel’s Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee. Just last month, Dingell and Boucher offered a draft global climate change bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050, with provisions involving carbon sequestration technology development considered vital by the nation’s coal industry.

Boucher said Waxman’s takeover doesn’t spell doom for the coal industry.

“It doesn’t change my substantive work,” he said. “I think it has little, if any, effect because I will be in the thick of the action working on behalf of our region, whether as subcommittee chair or some other role.”

As the new committee chair, Waxman can reorganize subcommittees as he sees fit, Boucher said. A reorganization of subcommittees could strip Boucher of his current role but won’t change his influence, he said.

“First of all, I supported John Dingell for chairman. He has had a long and distinguished tenure,” Boucher said. “I think he is probably the single most successful legislator in modern history, and he is a problem-solving centrist who understands the needs of American business and has been a driving force for the American economy for many years through the sound policies that have emerged from the Energy and Commerce Committee.

“I now look forward to working with Chairman Waxman with who I also have a long and successful partnership on our committee. Many decisions have not been made. The initial ones have to be made by Chairman Waxman as for what the various subcommittees will be, and what he outlines the subcommittee jurisdictions will be.”

Who chairs what subcommittee, Boucher said, are the kinds of decisions “that will have to await any subcommittee reorganization (Waxman) will undertake.”

The coal industry will still have a powerful voice sounding off loud and often in Waxman’s ear, Boucher said.

“I will continue to have a leading role in formulating energy policy and in assuring that the climate change legislation enables a future growth in the coal industry, and that will be true whether I chair the subcommittee or I serve on the subcommittee as a senior member, in which event I will be chairing some other subcommittee,” he said.

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Sean Hannity says Obama is going to bankrupt THE COAL INDUSTRY. Let me set you straight Mr. Hannity as a resident of Wise County, Virginia. Presidebt Bush and THE COAL INDUSTRY comes to Appalachia decapitating our home all for the love of money. Greed rules the day in Pound and Appalachia. First THE COAL INDUSTRY destroys our mountains, dig, gouge, blast everything to smithereens, get every dime and dollar at our expense, they they file for bankruptcy so no one is held culpable for the Environemntal damage. Appalachia and Pound are toxic third world America waste dumps !

http://www.wisecountyissues.com

Tim Mullins | 11/22/2008 - 5:58 PM - (Suggest Removal )

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