Energy & Environment

A 25-22 secret ballot vote by the House Democratic steering committee gave Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) a leg-up for chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce committee, ousting longtime Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.).

The vote comes after a frenzied campaign by both lawmakers to whip up support for their candidacies. Waxman had aggressively courted freshmen members of Congress as well as more progressive members, in hopes of taking control of the committee in charge of producing energy and environmental legislation.

Dingell, whose southeast Michigan district is largely dependant on the automotive industry, has sometimes been accused of trying to slow bills increasing emissions standards that could prove costly to the automakers. Dingell had served as the committee's chairman or ranking member since 1981.

Dingell, a veteran representative who was first elected in 1955, is serving his 27th term in Congress.

-Michael O'Brien and Allie Foote

Tonight's congressional Democratic bash has kicked off, and it is well-stocked.

The Election Night party at the Hyatt Regency has a large ballroom, several tables of gourmet food, a steady trickle of incoming guests

National and state coal groups are blasting Barack Obama today over a recently publicized audio tape of Barack Obama talking coal with the San Franciso Chronicle in January.

The National Mining Association, the West Virginia Coal Association, the Ohio Coal Association, and the Kentucky Coal Association have all criticized the Democratic candidate over a controversial remark about coal power plants, made in a January interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, in which Obama suggests building coal power plants would "bankrupt" energy corporations and investors.

In the tape, Obama outlines his cap-and-trade energy plan, which caps emissions for corporations and allows for the trade and auction of credits to emit greenhouse gasses.

The idea of such plans, also supported by John McCain, is to provide disincentives for pollution, and in the Chronicle interview Obama used coal power plants as an example of what would be discouraged: "If somebody wants to build a coal power plant, they can, it's just that it will bankrupt them because they're going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that's being emitted."

Coal groups have reacted forcefully to the tape, which was reported today by a Charleston, W.Va. TV station  to have "resurfaced" Sunday. The tape was featured yesterday on right-leaning media blog Newsbusters; it has been a lead story on the Drudge Report this morning.

"Bankrupting the coal industry would be tantamount to bankrupting the American economy. Coal generates half of our nation s electricity, employs hundreds of thousands of Americans and provides millions of dollars in revenue to coal states," National Mining Association President and CEO Hal Quinn said today.

"Destroying the coal industry would break America s energy backbone. It would raise the cost of energy for households and businesses throughout the country and create massive job losses. We trust the candidates understand this and do not believe that destroying the coal industry is part of the change we need."

The Kentucky Coal Association's website features a large headline reading "Obama says  he will bankrupt the Coal Industry," and the president of the Ohio Coal Association (OCA) today said Obama spells "disaster" for the coal industry.

"Regardless of the timing or method of the release of these remarks, the message from the Democratic candidate for President could not be clearer: the Obama-Biden ticket spells disaster for America's coal industry and the tens of thousands of Americans who work in it," OCA President Mike Carey said.

The senior vice president of the West Virginia Coal Association yesterday called Obama's comments "unbelievable," and the organization's website features a link to the comments prominently.

"His comments are unfortunate," senior VP Chris Hamilton said Sunday, "and really reflect a very uninformed voice and perspective to coal specifically and energy generally."

House Democratic leaders, citing progress in this afternoon

Senate Democrats fell short in their efforts to extend a ban on offshore shale oil drilling, failing to rally enough votes on a measure Friday that would have extended the ban.

52 Senators voted for the motion to proceed on S. 3604, short of the 60 necessary on the motion to proceed. 42 Senators voted against, and six did not vote.

Six Republicans crossed the aisle on the vote, four of whom--Sens. Susan Collans (Maine), Elizabeth Dole (N.C.), Coleman (Minn.), and Gordon Smith (Ore.)--face tough reelection battles this fall.

Only two Democrats, Sens. Evan Bayh (Ind.) and Claire McCaskill (Mo.), voted against the motion to proceed.

-Michael O'Brien

Illegal immigrants "degrade the environment," according to Homeland Security Sec. Michael Chertoff, speaking to the Associated Press.

"Illegal migrants really degrade the environment. I've seen pictures of human waste, garbage, discarded bottles and other human artifact in pristine areas," Chertoff told the AP. "And believe me, that is the worst thing you can do to the environment."

Chertoff was defending the need for a "virtual fence" on the border between the United States and Mexico, which he implied would be an environmental boon in border areas. Some opponents say such barriers are harmful to the environment.

Over 150 miles of fence had been constructed through last week, Chertoff said, less than half of the 370 miles of actual fencing Homeland Security hopes to construct.

-Michael O'Brien

A quarter-century old ban on offshore drilling in the United States will be left to expire, as Democrats appear ready to let the Congress go to recess absent a vote.

A provision continuing the ban will be left out of an omnibus spending bill Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.)

Former Energy Secretary Federico Pena said today that GOP proposals for more offshore oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico could feed the fluctuation of oil prices worldwide, as hurricanes drive up prices when they threaten oil rigs.

"There are extra risks when you drill offshore, particularly in the gulf, with the seven to 10 hurricanes that hit the gulf each year," Pena said on a conference call with reporters organized by the Democratic National Committee. "Before they even strike the offshore platforms, world oil prices go up."

Once hurricanes hit oil rigs, Pena said, they disrupt the flow of oil and cause millions of dollars worth of damage to drilling infrastructure.

Pena was criticizing John McCain's energy policies, which include expanded offshore drilling, and pushing Barack Obama's energy platform on the call. Pena served as Energy secretary under President Bill Clinton.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) steered off message during his "Meet the Press" appearance on Sunday by trampling a talking point that has been cited by House Republicans.

Jindal, a former House member who is a top contender to be Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) running mate, criticized Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for his "all of the above" approach to energy.

"All of the above" is the House Republican slogan for addressing high gas prices, encompassing more energy production, encouraging efficiency, and increasing supply.

During his appearance on Sunday, Jindal said that McCain "has a long history of bucking his own party, his own president, whether it was fighting against earmarks, wasteful spending, and he's got a long tradition of standing on principle for what he believes is right. Unlike Sen. Obama, he's for all of the above when it comes to our energy solutions. You know, Sen. Obama's been out there saying he wants to increase taxes on coal, on natural gas. He said nuclear energy is not the right answer for America. He says that he doesn't want more domestic oil and gas production off our coast."

- Bob Cusack

As Barack Obama takes heat for suggesting that Americans keep their tires inflated to save fuel, the Illinois Democrat's campaign has been working hard to point out similar suggestions from the GOP--the latest nugget coming from the Department of Energy (DOE) in 2006.

This morning the campaign circulated a press release stating that Republican Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger (Calif.) and Charlie Crist (Fla.) made similar suggestions--a factoid that soon made its way into the liberal blogosphere.

And, this afternoon, this link came down the pipes, taking readers to a 2006 DOE .pdf packet on tips for saving energy. Among other things, it recommends that Americans "Keep tires properly inflated and aligned to improve your gasoline mileage by around 3.3%."

Republican National Committee (RNC) staffers and supporters of John McCain distributed tire gauges today to mock Obama for the suggestion.

"There are things that you can do individually, though, to save energy," Obama said last week. "Making sure your tires are inflated