Citing “a growing chorus of voices,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called Thursday for “mandatory action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution”and said she wants legislation ready for July 4th — which she declares “Energy Independence Day.”
The Speaker’s remarks came at the beginning of a hearing of the House Committee on Science and Technology this morning. The hearing is taking testimony from four of the scientists involved in the United Nations-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Meanwhile, once again the Bush Administration is insensitive to global warming:
The White House on Thursday defended House Speaker Nancy Pelosi against Republican criticism that her desire to fly in an Air Force transport plane is an extravagance.
“This is a silly story and I think it’s been unfair to the speaker,” White House spokesman Tony Snow said. Some Republicans are taking issue with the size of the plane Pelosi has requested.
Pelosi, a Democrat, asked for access to a C-32, a military version of the Boeing 757-200, that could fly to her hometown of San Francisco without refueling.
And the planet suffers, but Bush doesn’t care . . . .
UPDATE: Still unanswered: “Did Pelosi know that the smaller C-37A was just as capable of flying non-stop to California as the lavish C-32, yet request the more expensive C-32 anyway?”
MORE: Reader Phillip Kahn emails:
Nancy Pelosi need not fret about nonstop service via military jets. I happen to work for a major airline (*cough* United *cough*) that provides just the nonstop service from Washington DC to San Francisco that Mrs. Pelosi seems to be looking for. In fact, we even have 8 flights a day each way! Surely Mrs. Pelosi’s staff will have plenty of seats to choose from. Although I must admit, I’m a little surprised that she has apparently never heard of us seeing as how we have a hub in the city she works in and another hub in the city she represents. I suppose she’s been too busy “looking out for the children” to realize these things.
How convenient! And since commercial carriers in and out of DC give members of Congress special treatment, she can be confident of getting the flights she needs.