WASINGTON, D. C. – Congressman John Hall was among the nine Democratic members appointed today to the newly created Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.  Congressman Ed Markey of Massachusetts will chair the Select Committee.

 

Hall is one of only two freshman lawmakers appointed to this select committee. (Rep. Jerry McNerney is the other.)

 

“I am pleased and honored that Speaker Pelosi would name me to this important Select Committee,” said Hall. “For thirty years I have been a vocal proponent and strong supporter of the development of alternative energy sources that are safe and renewable, understanding fully the problems we have been creating in our environment. It’s time for Congress to move straight ahead with the issue of global warming, and I’m confident that significant progress can be achieved.”

 

“The members of the new Select Committee I am appointing today are outstanding for their creativity, diversity of experience, and knowledge of energy and global warming issues,” Speaker Pelosi said in a statement. “I have great faith in their ability to lead our efforts to confront these serious challenges.  Global warming and energy independence are urgent issues that have profound implications for our nation’s economic competitiveness, national security, environmental quality and public health.  The wide-ranging expertise of these members will be critical in finding viable solutions that stimulate our economy, promote jobs, and protect our environment.”

 

Chairman Markey said: “We are facing an issue that will test the capacity of democracy to respond in time to affect the fate of the planet.  We have the technology, the ingenuity, and the experience to reverse the inexorable buildup of heat-trapping greenhouse gases.  I look forward to working with my colleagues to find the consensus needed to move boldly and quickly.”

 

The House has a long history of creating Select Committees focused on crucial issues.  The authority to legislate on energy and climate change will remain with the committees of jurisdiction, which have been asked by Speaker Pelosi to produce legislation on global warming and energy independence by June.  With a large number of committees exercising jurisdiction over issues affecting energy and climate, the Select Committee will provide the coordination of information on these critical issues.

 

The Select Committee will hold hearings and investigations locally, nationally, and internationally to gather the information needed to protect our national security and the environment.  It is charged with recommending to the Congress policies, strategies, technologies and other innovations to reduce the dependence of the United States on foreign sources of energy and prevent global warming.

 

According to Speaker Pelosi, the new Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming will raise the profile of these crucial issues in the Congress, the media, and the public eye and will target the younger generation—who have the most at stake—using cutting-edge means of communications.

 

The House approved the creation of the Select Committee yesterday on a vote of 269 to 150, with 44 Republicans voting in favor.  The Committee’s official duties will end when this two-year session of the House ends.

 

The Democratic members of the Select Committee are listed below:

Republican Leader John Boehner named minority members to the Select Committee: