The House Appropriations Committee passed two amendments today, one good, one bad (with good bits).
The good one strips away a longstanding congressional prohibition against offshore natural gas exploration. This is great news for consumers as it will increase energy security and probably pave the way to the lowering of natural gas prices.
The bad one accepts much of the alarmist case for global warming and suggests that there should be “mandatory, market-based limits” on greenhouse gas emissions. The saving grace is that the amendment says these should not “significantly harm the United States economy” (which they probably would) and would need to “encourage comparable action” by countries like China, which are highly unlikely to be encouraged towards such actions. The amendment passed on a voice vote only, demonstrating once again that legislators are afraid to go on the record on this issue. I imagine this amendment will get stripped out, but for the moment it will give significant aid and comfort to the green lobby and their fellow travelers.