Rep. Waxman to head House Energy and Commerce panel
House Democrats vote to oust John Dingell of Michigan, a key ally of the auto industry, as the chairman of the committee that handles environmental legislation.
Reporting from Washington — In a sign that President-elect Barack Obama's environmental agenda will receive strong support from Capitol Hill, House Democrats today voted to install Rep. Henry A. Waxman of Beverly Hills as leader of the House committee that handles environmental legislation, ousting the auto industry's strongest ally, Rep. John D. Dingell of Michigan, from the job.
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Waxman is an advocate of much stricter regulation to curb global warming than Dingell, who as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee had compiled a long record of defending the auto industry against emissions rules that automakers consider too strict.
Waxman's promotion to chairman of the committee was approved, 137 to 122, in a closed meeting of the House Democratic Caucus.
He argued that the panel needed new leadership in order to manage upcoming legislation on healthcare, energy and global warming -- all signature issues for Obama. Dingell, who is 82 and recovering from knee surgery, argued that there was no reason to upend the House's long-standing seniority system.
Hook is a reporter in our Washington bureau.
janet.hook@latimes.com
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