From AAIA Capital Report

By a close 219-212 vote, the House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454) on June 26. The bill would put mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions, aiming to reduce 17 percent by 2020 from 2005 levels. Forty-four Democrats broke ranks with party leaders and voted against the bill, while only eight Republicans voted in favor of the ground-breaking legislation.

In order to obtain the votes necessary to obtain passage, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., was forced to make last-minute deals with legislators from agriculture states. Specifically, an amendment was added on the House floor that would move responsibility for establishing an offset program for agriculture and forests from the Environmental Protection Agency to the Department of Agriculture. The bill further exempts both sectors from the bill's emissions caps.

The bill now moves to the Senate, where its chances of passage are far from certain. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., chairperson, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has said that she will use the House-passed bill as a starting point for development of a Senate bill. Boxer expects to begin committee consideration sometime after the July 4 recess.