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Fred Upton
Contact: Sean C. Bonyun (202) 225-3761


THE HILL: Upton Calls for Termination of Climate Panel - Pelosi Defends Wasteful Committee

Washington, DC, Oct 20 -

 Pelosi defends House climate panel

As printed in The Hill, October 20, 2010, Page 18

By Ben Geman

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday defended the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming after Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) called it “wasteful” and pointless.

“Under Chairman [Edward] Markey’s leadership, the select committee has led in-depth examination of key energy and climate issues being debated in Congress.  Since the committee’s creation, Congress increased vehicle fuel efficiency for the first time in 30 years, made the largest investment in clean energy in the nation’s history, and the House passed sweeping climate change legislation,” Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said in a statement. 

He also said the committee has “played an important role in holding BP accountable after the Gulf oil rig explosion.” 

Pelosi created the climate panel in 2007 following the 2006 elections that gave Democrats the House majority.  Markey (D-Mass.) has used the gavel to bash opponents of climate legislation and rally support for steep emissions cuts. 

The panel has held more than 50 hearings, which have included attacks on oil and coal companies, robust defenses of climate science and the risks of global warming and promotion of “clean” energy as a major economic engine. 

But Upton took aim at the panel in a Washington Times op-ed. 

“By law, this select committee has no legislative role; its sole purpose is to write reports.  The only jobs created by this committee are within the confines of Capitol Hill.  The American people do not need Congress to spend millions of dollars to write reports and fly around the world.  We must terminate this wasteful committee,” he wrote. 

Upton is a senior GOP voice on energy policy and is considered a front-runner to chair the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee if Republicans regain the House in the midterm elections.