House Democrats take on global warming, oil issues

Pelosi announced that she intended to create a select panel to help craft the party's environmental agenda and had asked committee chairs with jurisdiction over the issue to pass legislation "to truly declare our energy independence" by July 4.

The announcement came as Democrats completed the agenda of their first 100 legislative hours with passage of a bill that would repeal oil industry tax breaks and put the estimated $14 billion in revenue over 10 years toward research on energy conservation and alternative fuels.

The legislation was the last of six bills that the Democrats plowed through the House in two weeks, including measures to increase the minimum wage, expand stem cell research, implement Sept. 11 commission recommendations, authorize Medicare negotiations for lower drug prices and cut interest rates on student loans.

Now, the hard part begins.

Even as Democratic leaders and freshmen clustered around Pelosi at a news conference to tout their accomplishments, rumbles from the slower-moving Senate signaled that bills would face resistance there.

Pelosi's plan to create the energy panel was also raising hackles among House Democrats who chair committees with jurisdiction on the matter, especially Rep. John D. Dingell, a veteran lawmaker from Michigan who looks out for the interests of the Detroit automakers.

And, although House Democrats backed the 100-hour agenda almost unanimously, cracks in the caucus may appear as Democrats turn to energy, healthcare and immigration, among other issues.

On Thursday, though, Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) stressed the positive and extolled the success of their agenda, which Hoyer's office calculated passed in 42 hours, 13 minutes and 28 seconds of legislative time.

"In the November election, the American people signaled their wish for change, a wish for our country to go in a new direction," Pelosi said. "Democrats promised that we would, and these past two weeks we have delivered on the promise."

The bill to repeal oil industry tax breaks was approved 264 to 163, but that and the other 100-hour measures are still far from becoming law.