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Cap and trade roll-call: Republicans save

by Mark Silva

When a vote is close, any number of reasons can explain it.

But, for all the Republican Party's criticism of the far-reaching Obama administration energy and climate control bill that narrowly cleared the House on Fridayby a vote of 219-212Republicans are responsible for passing it.

Eight Republicansincluding Rep. Mark Kirk of Illinoisbucked their party's leadership to vote for the bill capping greenhouse gas emissions and enabling polluters to trade rights for emissions to one another. President Barack Obama says it will spur development of alternative energywind and solar-powerand create millions of new jobs in the bargain. Republicans call it a "national energy tax,'' and a "carbon tax.'

Just as three Republicans in the Senate helped save Obama's economic stimulus spending act when it passed the Senate, a handful of Republicans have saved his energy bill in the Housewhich leads to the question of which Republicans will help pass the president's healthcare reform act.

With 44 Democrats turning against the energy bill on the House floor, the majority needed all the help it could find from Republicans to save it. And they found that with a cast of eight, including a few from New Jersey, where they know something about pollution.

The Republicans who saved the energy bill: Reps. Mary Bono of California, Michael Castle of Delaware, Norman Dicks of Washington, Mark Kirk of Illinois, Lenoard Lance of New Jersey, Frank LoBiondo of New Jersey, David Reichert of Washington and Chris Smith of New Jersey.

While Republican leaders slam the Democratic majority for ramming through a 1,200-page bill that few, if any, have read, Kirk says he made a point of reading the whole thing.

You'll find the names of the 44 Democrats who voted against it at the House clerk's roll call on the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

House Narrowly Passes Climate Change Measure

The U.S. House voted 219-212 for a sweeping bill to combat global warming. It would put gradually stricter caps on the total national output of heat-trapping gases, based on a system of permits that can be bought and sold.