Pelosi says House would take up climate bill if Senate acts

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she would have no problem subjecting her members to another tough vote on climate change legislation before the November election if a far-reaching bill passes the Senate.

“They’ve already gone down that path,” Pelosi (D-Calif.) said of House Democrats at her weekly press conference, referring to the chamber’s passage of climate change and energy legislation last June.

The Speaker has pledged to avoid politically difficult votes heading ahead of the fall campaign season after a year in which House Democrats supported narrow passage of health care, climate change and financial reform measures.

The climate change legislation introduced by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) faces an uncertain future before it even returns to the House, but Pelosi stayed positive about its prospects.

“We’re optimistic about what the Senate has introduced,” she said. “I look forward to seeing the path that it takes in the Senate, but I see the makings in their bill of something that we could come to an agreement.”

While the Senate bill differed markedly from the House version, Pelosi said both measures fit her requirement to create jobs and bolster national security.

Kerry and Lieberman introduced their legislation without Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who had previously been working with them. It's unclear whether the Senate will push forward on climate change. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Wednesday said there would need to be "significant" bipartisan support to move forward.