House Committee on Energy and Commerce

The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce is one of the oldest standing committees of the U.S. House of Representatives. Established in 1795, it has operated continuously, with the exception of various name changes and jurisdictional changes, for more than 200 years. The only other House standing committees with 200 years of continuous operation are the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Rules Committee. It has served as the principal guide for the House in matters relating to the promotion of commerce and to the public’s health and marketplace interests.

Climate change hearings
The Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality held a hearing on "Climate Change: Are Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Human Activities Contributing to a Warming of the Planet?" on March 7, 2007. The witnesses as the hearing were
 * Dr. Michael Oppenheimer, Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs at Princeton University;
 * Dr. John R. Christy, Professor and Director of the Earth System Science Center, National Space Science and Technology Center, University of Alabama in Huntsville;
 * Dr. Gabriele Hegerl, Associate Research Professor, Earth and Ocean Sciences Division, Duke University;
 * Dr. James W. Hurrell, Director, Climate and Global Dynamics Division, National Center for Atmospheric Research;
 * Dr. Roni Avissar, Professor and Chair, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University.

The subcommittee is scheduled to have a hearing on "Climate Change and Energy Security: Perspectives from the Automobile Industry" on March 14, 2007.

The subcommittee is scheduled to have a hearing on "Climate Change: State and Local Perspectives" on March 15, 2007.

The subcommittee is scheduled to have a hearing on March 21, 2007. Former Vice President Al Gore is scheduled to appear.

Contact information
Website: http://energycommerce.house.gov/


 * Majority staff office - (202) 225-2927
 * Minority staff office - (202) 225-3641

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Climate change
 * Henry A. Waxman
 * United States and Post-Kyoto Protocol negotiations on greenhouse gas emissions

External resources

 * The dKosopedia page on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

External articles

 * "API slams cap-and-trade compromise," Upstreamonline, May 15, 2009.
 * Ian Talley, "Panel Adds Free Permits To CO2 Bill," Wall Street Journal (sub req'd), May 16, 2009.
 * Darren Samuelsohn, "Complaints from left and right as House climate markup nears," Greenwire / New York Times, May 18, 2009.