Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) bought himself a little bit more time yesterday to produce a consensus on global warming and energy legislation amid a vocal uprising from within his party's moderate ranks to turn the Energy and Commerce Committee's attention over to health care.
Waxman pledged to produce a new version of draft legislation next week while again promising to pass the bill out of the full committee before the Memorial Day recess.
"We're moving well, making a lot of progress on these issues," Waxman said. "We're getting very, very close."
The chairman's optimistic tone came amid another busy day of closed-door talks with a cadre of moderate committee members who are seeking changes to the 648-page draft climate and energy bill.
Several lawmakers involved in those negotiations stayed away from specifics while still reporting progress. "I've seen numbers," said Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.). "I can't confirm what they are. But ...