Speaking of the ‘bad guys’ centrists, the group MoveOn.org is raising money to fund ads intended to run in the districts of Democratic members who may oppose House efforts to advance climate change legislation.
In particular, the ads would target Reps. Rick Boucher (D-VA), Mike Doyle (D-PA), Charles Melancon (D-LA), and Charles Gonzalez (D-TX)–all from either oil, coal, or manufacturing states. Boucher used to head the subcommittee with jurisdiction over this issue, but he swapped out this winter with Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), who, along with Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), co-authored the bill in question.
Today, the New York Times reports that Boucher–a veteran environmentalist foe–wants the Waxman-Markey bill all-but-gutted.
“A group led by Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.), wants to weaken the 2020 emission limits from the draft’s 20 percent cut target, bringing it down to the 6 percent level spelled out last fall in legislation he produced with former Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.)”
Boucher, former chairman of the Energy and Commerce subcommittee with jurisdiction over climate change issues, said Thursday he plans to have several days of talks with Waxman. “And at the end of the process, I hope I’ll be able to support the bill,” Boucher said. “In its current form, I cannot.”
According to the Times, Boucher is joined in his calls to weaken the bill by, among others, one Mike Doyle.
And this is just the House. The fight will surely be more difficult in the Senate, where conservative Democrats have considerably more sway. It’ll be interesting to see whether and how outside groups oppose their efforts when the issue gets taken up in that body.
