We're coming to you live today from the DC offices of the National Wildlife Federation, watching the U.S. House of Representatives debate the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act! (Blogging central is the kitchen because our best TV is in here. Although I'm not sure I want to see Rep. Phil Gingrey in HD. Let's move on.)
FINAL UPDATE 7:24pm -- American Clean Energy and Security Act passes 219-212. There will be plenty of time to talk about who voted for or against the bill later on. For now, take the weekend to celebrate the U.S. House of Representatives passing comprehensive clean energy & climate legislation! The work to strengthen and pass the bill in the Senate begins first thing Monday morning. Thanks for following along!
7:24pm -- American Clean Energy and Security Act passes 219-212. There will be plenty of time to talk about who voted for or against the bill later on. For now, take the weekend to celebrate the U.S. House of Representatives passing comprehensive clean energy & climate legislation! The work to strengthen and pass the bill in the Senate begins first thing Monday morning. Thanks for following along!
7:17pm -- WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!
7:05pm -- First Republican vote for the bill!
7:01pm -- GOP substitute goes down, now voting on ACES!
6:55pm -- GOP substitute about to fail.
6:40pm -- House finally voting on something! First, the vote on the GOP substitute. Will be final by 6:55pm.
6:33pm -- Anyone else hearing Boehner is trying to push off vote so the major climate action victory won't make East Coast evening newscasts?
6:30pm -- From Twitter: @pourmecoffee Boehner filibustering energy bill. Very rare for Boehners to last more than four hours. #ACES
6:27pm -- This is the Republican leadership's answer to our economic, energy and climate crises: Wasting time. Sad.
6:23pm -- Did anyone else see Rep. Michele Bachmann yawn just now right over Boehner's shoulder?
6:16pm -- While Boehner filibusters, a word from our sponsors: Please rec this diary!
6:13pm -- From Twitter: @lowkell Boehner: "Dear Mr. President, There are too many states nowadays. Please eliminate three. P.S. I am not a crackpot." Nope, Abe Simpson...
6:07pm -- And we're into at least a half hour of Boehner. Note to the kids: heavy smoking + extensive tanning = this.
5:58pm -- Among the returning members -- Rep. Patrick Kennedy.
5:54pm -- Hearing lots of speculation about trying to get members with health problems to the Hill to vote. This one's gonna be close.
5:47pm -- For the record, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service employs over 8,000 people with a budget of $2.3 billion. And the Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives seems unfamiliar with it.
5:40pm -- Boehner just looked at the chart and said, "I wish someone could tell me what FWS stands for." I looked at Fitz and said, "Fish and Wildlife Service." Fitz shot me an "I'm not stupid, I know what it is" look. So John Boehner, House Minority Leader, is unaware of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service?
5:39pm -- Still with the chart. Boehner is actually having to hold it up to his face to read it from two feet away.
5:38pm -- Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) unveils incredibly complicated, tiny-print ACES chart. It's titled "A bureaucratic nightmare." So the chart on the bureaucratic nightmare is itself a bureaucratic nightmare. Thanks, Rep. Boehner. It all makes sense now.
5:30pm -- Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) is delivering the Democratic rebuttal to the Republican substitute. A well-reasoned closing argument for ACES.
5:18pm -- Rep. Michele Bachmann says under ACES, "the federal goverment will have control over virtually every aspect of the lives of the American people." No one brings the crazy like Michele.
5:14pm -- Just got this email from a key Hill staffer: "I wanted to let you know that telephone calls into our office are skewed against the bill (and many are out of district), but emails are strongly skewed towards the bill. Seems like the new generation (those who know how to use the internet, unlike Joe Barton) is pro-addressing global warming."
5:01pm -- Republicans now introducing their substitute bill. It'll go down, then they'll move on to a vote on ACES.
4:53pm -- Fitz on watching Rep. Barton budgeting GOP debate time: "This is like watching Andy Reid try to manage the clock in the 4th quarter." Not sure if that's more insulting to Republicans or Eagles fans.
4:43pm -- Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) just asked for a moment of silence for all the people who will lose jobs because of ACES. Yes, that just happened.
4:39pm -- WOW. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), who'd been threatening to oppose ACES because it wasn't strong enough, just said he'll vote for the bill. That's huge. Big murmur goes through the NWF conference room. (Kitchen got too crowded, now we've all piled into the big conference room with C-SPAN on the big screen.)
4:28pm -- Interesting tidbit I just heard from one of our staffers -- pro-ACES calls to members of Congress are close to 100% in-district, while anti-ACES calls to member offices are only about 15% in-district. Basically, it's local clean energy advocates vs. a national Big Oil-funded campaign.
4:21pm -- My buddy Fitz summaries GOP arguments against ACES: "These lights are expensive. Let's go to China."
4:15pm -- Here we go, Barton demanding recess. Rep. Markey explaining that any citizen in the entire country can view the bill by navigating through the Series of Tubes to the House website.
4:11pm -- Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) clearly thinks he's found a way to delay a vote on ACES by demanding a dead-tree version of the bill.
4:08pm -- Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) now carrying the crazy uncle torch demanding a physical copy of the bill. Someone please show the man how to use the internets.
4:05pm -- Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) has wasted three full minutes demanding to know where he can get a physical copy of the bill. Acting speaker: "It is not my job to disseminate copies of the bill." Gohmert keeps going. It's like someone's crazy old uncle wandered onto the floor.
4:02pm -- From BlueMax in comments: "Funny story. I read an op-ed from a paper in Tampa about how ACES would hurt states like Florida that couldn't convert to renewables like solar and wind. Talk about a 'Really?!' moment."
3:55pm -- My buddy Fitz has arrived. Heard him snicker at Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX). I asked him why. "Crazy listening to a Republican using 'derivatives' to rail against ACES. Where were these guys when those same markets were driving oil prices through the roof?"
3:48pm -- Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) claims with a straight face that ACES will drive up energy costs for one business by $20,000 a month. Why not just say, "This bill will cost every American a million jillion dollars!"
3:40pm -- Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) would like you to know he's a mavericky maverick because he has the guts to ... stand up for Big Oil against those mean nasty treehuggers. No, really, that's what he said.
3:37pm -- There was a rally on Capitol Hill today to strengthen & pass ACES, picture over at the NWF blog.
3:29pm -- Here's yet another example of Republican intellectual dishonesty on ACES: After listening to Republican after Republican all afternoon claim the bill will send jobs overseas, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) says the bill is protectionist because it has provisions to look out for American industries. Which is it, guys?
3:15pm -- Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL) says the bill should be called the "Let's Send More Jobs to China Act." NWF colleague Aislinn: "That would be awesome. What if someone actually introduced the 'Let's Send More Jobs to China Act'?"
3:14pm -- Rep. John Linder (R-GA) refers to people against the bill as "deniers." Makes a false claim about scientists and global warming, then gets cut-off mid-sentence for exceeding his time limit. Definitely a Champ Kind moment. "Just take it easy, John. Why don't you stop talking for a while? Maybe sit the next couple of plays out."
3:05pm -- From Twitter: @kate_sheppard Neal (D-Mass.): "It is very difficult to find common ground if the other side rejects the science of our times."
3:02pm -- Rep. John Larson (D-CT) delivers a passionate plea for the bill, his voice steadily rising as he begged the House to get America on a new, secure energy path.
3:01pm -- Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY): "When the Republican party becomes the protector of the poor, it's the day I've been waiting for."
2:58pm -- Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) says we should ask China and India if they're going to act before we do anything. Can you imagine any other arena in which Republicans would say we should cede control to China and India? "Should we invade Stankonia? We can't act before China and India do!" Somehow I can't see it happening.
2:55pm -- Question of the moment: Rep. Sander Levin and Sen. Carl Levin related? NWF's Zach is quick on the google and finds Sander is Carl's older brother.
2:53pm -- From Twitter: @AndrewTappan GOP members at #ACES debate stage bad prop-comedy improv. No one laughs.
2:51pm -- Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) urges support for ACES. And with that great voice & accent, how can you resist?
2:45pm -- Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) asks "why we'd even consider" changing our energy policies during a recession. Yes, Rep. Cantor. Why would we consider changing the status quo that got us into this mess? Why wouldn't we want more of the same failed dirty energy policies? I feel another segment of Really!?! coming on.
2:43pm -- The Republicans opposing this bill have rolled out a virtual Wikipedia of discredited and debunked "studies" on the impact of climate action.
2:42pm -- Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL): "Let's foster new technology. Let's not pass this bill." Huh?
2:37pm -- Sorry for the break, needed to recharge the batteries. Grabbed a little NWF Blend Green Mountain Coffee and hit the ACES snack bar we've set up here in the kitchen. You know you needed some junkfood when you see the last mini-Snickers in the bowl and involuntarily yelp, "YESSSSS!"
2:19pm -- With apologies to Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers, I'd like to hold a brief segment of Really!?!
Our energy status quo is fine with you? Really? You think this bill will raise our energy bills? You haven't noticed our electricity prices and gas bills spiking on their own? Really!?! You don't think America can take a leadership role? We have to sit meekly waiting for other countries to solve the world's problems? REALLY!?!
OK, I'm done.
2:17pm -- You can watch the debate yourself on C-SPAN or at the C-SPAN website. Sorry for not posting the link sooner!
2:15pm -- Here's another clip from Wednesday's clean energy rally at the Capitol, watch it here.
2:08pm -- So glad NWF intern Rachel has joined me here in the NWF World Blogging HQ (aka the kitchen). I'm kind of jaded to the garbage denier stuff at this point, but it's amusing to watch her react to the Republican flat earth talking points. As Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) repeated long-since-debunked global warming denier talking points, she gaped, "Oh ... my ... god."
2:05pm -- Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) is setting a new standard for shrieking on the House floor. Seems like he feels like volume is his best weapon, I've often seen him try to bully witnesses in committee.
2:02pm -- Headline at Politico right now: Dems smell victory on climate vote
2:01pm -- From Twitter: @climatebill Rep McCotter (R-MI): Zombie-like "Today we consider a bill that thinks the govt can control the weather"
1:57pm -- Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE) refers to "anthropologic" global warming. Maybe we should ask Margaret Mead how to solve climate change? (Thanks to NWF intern Rachel for catching it.)
1:55pm -- Side note - great quick clip from Wednesday's clean energy rally: Rep. Mike Doyle calls drill baby drill Flintstones technology.
1:48pm -- Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) says ACES will send jobs overseas. Like the status quo is working out so well for Michigan jobs? Really?
1:43pm -- Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA) attacks Nancy Pelosi and Al Gore. Really ugly.
1:38pm -- Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO) asks why Democrats aren't supporting the "Republican alternative." Actually, Roy, this bill is a comprehensive climate & energy bill. The GOP legislation is a drill baby drill plan. Calling that an "alternative" is like saying an alternative to putting in a CFL light bulb is filling your tank with gas.
1:36pm -- Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) points out a Congressional Budget Office analysis shows ACES will cost the average taxpayer less than the cost of a postage stamp per day (and that's before you consider possible savings from efficiency).
1:31pm -- Short version of every Republican so far: "This bill is wrong because it picks winners and losers! If it were up to me, I'd pick (ethanol/nuclear/Big Oil) as a winner." No, they have no idea how they're contradicting themselves.
1:26pm -- Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) says "I have more concerns about this bill than I have time to discuss." Kind of a Festivus moment: "I got a lot of problems with you people! And now, you're gonna hear about it."
1:23pm -- Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) says her district includes Silicon Valley, which is eagerly awaiting the green jobs that will be created by ACES. The CSPAN graphic informs us she also represents Menlo Park and Half Moon Bay, prompting a friend to quip, "You know someone who represents Half Moon Bay is gonna be a hippie."
1:20pm -- Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX) accuses President Obama of always trying to brag about what America's done. No, really. He says Obama just wants to pass ACES to have something to brag about in the Copenhagen climate negotiations in December.
1:18pm -- Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) speaks in favor of the bill. Very powerful symbolism to have one of the biggest champions of Detroit now fighting for climate action.
1:14pm -- Just stuck my head in the office of Corry Westbrook, NWF's legislative director. She says we can expect a few hours of debate, then a few votes on amendments, with a final vote on the bill possible (and I emphasize possible) this evening. Depends on where things go.
1:13pm -- From Twitter: @russ_walker Racist, disgraced ex senator from Va. opposes #ACES: http://bit.ly/...
1:12pm -- Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) goes on a rant about flexfuel cars (cars that can run on gas or ethanol), then says he supports ACES and urges its passage.
1:05pm -- Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA) says electricity will remain affordable under ACES and that the economy will continue to grow. Says there will still be a role for coal.
1:01pm -- Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) accuses ACES of picking winners and losers, then calls for subsidies for nuclear power and letting Big Oil drill where ever they want. Gee, wonder which winners and losers Bob would pick if we left it to him?
12:57pm -- Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) declares the bill will create millions of clean energy jobs. "This is a revolution. This is a moment in history."
12:52pm -- Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) opens debate, calling ACES an "enormous jobs bill." Singles out a series of members for their outreach to key constituencies -- Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) for bringing the auto industry on board, Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA) for his work with power companies (among others, AEP announced support of bill today), Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA) for getting the steel industry's support, Ways & Means Chair Charlie Rangel (D-NY) for bringing low income advocates on board, and Agriculture Chair Collin Peterson (D-MN) for his outreach to farmers.
