"Boxer: Climate Bill Markup Will Go Forward Tuesday, With or Without GOP"

"Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) will go ahead and mark up climate legislation in her committee Tuesday, she announced Monday morning, even if the Republicans try to block her.

Under committee rules and precedent, two members of the minority are customarily required in order to provide a quorum for a markup. But Boxer and her aides will rely on a provision in the rules that will allow the Democrats to proceed as long as a majority of committee members are present, and can report out the bill if a majority is present and votes in favor of the bill. Democrats outnumber Republicans on the panel by a ratio of 12 to 7.

While committee Republicans have objected that the Environmental Protection Agency has not performed a full economic impact analysis of the bill authored by Boxer and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.), Boxer rejected this complaint in a statement.

'This bill has had comprehensive legislative hearings, with 54 expert witnesses in nine panels. Committee rules provide that the Chairman's Mark be circulated three days before a business meeting, and we released it, along with the EPA's economic analysis, ten days before the markup,' she said. 'No climate bill has ever had this level of review and the Obama administration stands behind the EPA's analysis.'"

Juliet Eilperin reports for the Washington Post November 2, 2009.

See Also:

"Boxer Invites EPA In for Questions About Climate Bill" (ClimateWire)

"GOP Still Blocking Climate Bill" (Mother Jones)

"Boxer Pushes Ahead ... GOP Still Plans To Boycott" (ClimateWire)

"'Coal Country' Poses the Biggest Obstacle in Senate Climate Debate " (ClimateWire)

"Sen. Inhofe and U.S. Farm Bureau Chief Casually Chat About Destroying the Climate Bill" (Grist)