Pelosi Seeks to Refine Spill Response.....!!!!!!!!!!

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi moved to tighten control of the Democratic response to the BP oil spill, telling top lawmakers at a private meeting Tuesday she wants more coordination among the bevy of committees overseeing the Gulf Coast disaster.


Over pistachios, almonds and Ghirardelli chocolates, the California Democrat told lawmakers — including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, by speakerphone — that she wants the six House committees looking into the oil well explosion to produce legislation by July 4, aides said. Under that plan, the full House could act when it returns from its July recess.


Pelosi’s plea for more coordination was an implicit acknowledgment that the House response so far has seemed unfocused, even chaotic. There has been a glut of hearings as committee leaders and other lawmakers race for the cameras to show they are doing something — even though there is no consistent message from the Democrats as a whole of what that something is. Democrats also are cognizant that they are losing the battle of public perception, as polls show the public is increasingly critical of the federal response to the oil spill.


Pelosi told lawmakers — including six committee leaders — that she expects what one participant described as a “meaningful and effective piece of legislation.” The bill could provide monetary compensation for the residents of the Gulf Coast, as well as an overhaul of the Minerals Management Service, the agency that oversees offshore oil drilling. She also wants legislation to ensure that the federal government has its own expertise for dealing with drilling disasters, rather than relying on oil companies themselves. She singled out Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall’s CLEAR Act, which overhauls a wide swath of energy regulation.


“There’s a need to modernize the laws and help strengthen oversight of the industry,” said a House Democratic leadership aide. “That’s a two-step process” — hearings to gather information and new legislation — the aide said. “The legislative part of it requires some coordination.”


Publicly, Democrats appear to be embracing Pelosi’s call to action. Rahall (D-W.Va.) said it was “definitely” helpful that Pelosi got the troops in lock step.


“We’ve all been doing the many investigations and hearings, which is all good; the more questions asked, maybe we’ll find the right answers,” Rahall said.



Read more: [link to www.politico.com]


[link to www.politico.com]