House Subcommittee Moves To Block EPA Funding On Emissions

A House subcommittee has voted to deny funds for the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases, in a Thursday session that pitted Republicans against Democrats in a heated debate.

"This bill would block the Environmental Protection Agency's costly global warming regulatory agenda," said the bill's Republican sponsor, House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Rep. Fred Upton, in prepared remarks.

From The Wall Street Journal:

Republicans said the EPA has overstepped its bounds and created rules that would kill jobs and encourage U.S. companies to shift work to China and other countries. Democrats accused Republicans of denying scientific findings on global warming and of stripping the EPA from its ability to protect public health. The bill "codifies science denial," said Rep. Henry Waxman (D., Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House energy committee.

A similar bill is in the Senate. The Journal reports, "A collection of business trade groups, including the oil industry's American Petroleum Institute and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, applauded the legislation and welcomed the vote."

The full House Energy and Commerce Committee will take up the bill on Tuesday.