Environment/Energy Bill passes, Boehnhead embarrasses Ohio again

On Friday evening, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill intended to be a first step in tackling global warming and energy independence. The bill, called the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (or, more familiarly, ACES), is intended to "create clean energy jobs, achieve energy independence, reduce global warming pollution and transition to a clean energy economy,” according to the summary of the 1,000-plus page bill.

Obviously, there is much to be said about the bill, pro and con — and too much of it came from Ohio congressman John Boehnhead who managed to confiscate an hour of floor time on Friday to launch a mini-filibuster and make such compelling arguments as “People deserve to know what’s in this pile of shit.”

Short version:

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/john-boehner-throws-hour-lon...

Gluttons for punishment, go here:
http://earth2obama.org/?p=840

Once Boehnhead finished his tantrum, the bill squeaked to victory, with all of Ohio’s Republicans and two of its Democrats voting against it. You probably think the latter are Charlie Wilson (Oh-06) and Zack Space (Oh-18), who represent swaths of conservative rural and southern Ohio. You’d be half right. Wilson did indeed vote against it, not surprising given the composition of his district. But the other wasn’t Space, but Dennis Kucinich (Oh-10) who, once again, decided apparently that doing nothing is preferable to doing something after years of neglecting policy on energy and global warming — if that something isn’t the ideal solution.

Actually, it’s not fair to say “apparently,” because, unlike Boehnhead, Kucinich has made a coherent statement about what was behind his vote, which won’t make a lot of environmentalists happy (although some agree with him). It’s posted on his website.

http://kucinich.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=134813

Among other things, he says,

“I oppose H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. The reason is simple. It won’t address the problem. In fact, it might make the problem worse.

“It sets targets that are too weak, especially in the short term, and sets about meeting those targets through Enron-style accounting methods. It gives new life to one of the primary sources of the problem that should be on its way out– coal – by giving it record subsidies. And it is rounded out with massive corporate giveaways at taxpayer expense. There is $60 billion for a single technology which may or may not work, but which enables coal power plants to keep warming the planet at least another 20 years.”

“Today’s bill is a fragile compromise, which leads some to claim that we cannot do better. I respectfully submit that not only can we do better; we have no choice but to do better. Indeed, if we pass a bill that only creates the illusion of addressing the problem, we walk away with only an illusion. The price for that illusion is the opportunity to take substantive action.

Given that the bill barely passed (219-212), this wasn’t another case of a “protest” vote against a bill he’d hoped would be stronger. Many of his fellow progressives in Congress obviously disagree with his assertion that the bill will worsen current problems (most of the other 43 Democratic “no” votes were Wilson’s fellow conservative Democrats). And many people would argue with Kucinich that such a bill is currently achievable and would probably want to remind him, once again, that “the perfect is the enemy of the good.”