Key Republican: End, don't mend, EPA's climate authority

The chairman of a key environment subcommittee signaled Thursday that he supports legislation that would completely block the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) climate authority.

"I would lean myself toward just taking the regulatory authority away from them. But we haven't had the hearings, and I would like to hear all the information about it first," Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Energy subcommittee, said.

Whitfield's comments are an important indication of how Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee plan to limit EPA's climate authority. Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) has said he wants to block or delay the agency's efforts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, but his specific plans remain unclear. The committee outlined its plans in broad terms in a document obtained by The Hill on Wednesday.

Committee staff have met with a slew of industry and business groups to get their input on the issue. Whitfield said Thursday that many groups advocated for completely blocking EPA's climate authority, while others called for a delay. Committee staff will meet with the Natural Resources Defense Council next week, he said.

Lawmakers on the Energy and Commerce Committee are also working closely with senators who have expressed support for efforts to limit EPA's regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. Whitfield said he has met with Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), both of whom introduced bills on the issue in the last Congress.

Whitfield stressed the importance of developing legislation in the House that can pass the Senate. Asked by reporters if the effort is merely symbolic because President Obama is likely to veto any bill that blocks EPA's authority, Whitfield said a veto will bring the issue into the 2012 election spotlight.

"We're going to try to pass what we think is right out of the House. We're going to make every effort that we can do to get it through the Senate," he said. "And if the president vetoes it, then one thing that's going to do is elevate these issues for the 2012 presidential election."

Many of those issues will be addressed at the Energy subcommittee's first hearing, which will focus on "where we are today on energy," Whitfield said. The hearing, to be held in the second week of February, will focus on energy demand and the country's capacity to develop its domestic resources, Whitfield said.