Fact or Fiction

By STEPHEN POWER and BRODY MULLINS

WASHINGTON — Business groups and environmentalists are flooding the airwaves with ads targeting a dozen or so Democrats whose votes are seen as crucial on a controversial climate bill.

The outreach is intensifying as House Democratic leaders are gaining confidence they have the votes needed to move the bill through the House Energy and Commerce Committee as early as next week. On Thursday, a key swing vote on the panel, Rep. Rick Boucher (D., Va.), announced he would support the measure, though he said he continues to harbor concerns about some of its provisions and intends to seek changes when it comes before the full House later this year.

It remains unclear how many Democrats will vote for the bill, which aims to cut U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions roughly 80% below 2005 levels by 2050.

Bowing to Democrats whose states depend on cheap, coal-fired electricity or on energy-intensive industries, the committee’s chairman, Rep. Henry Waxman (D., Calif.), agreed earlier this week to soften the proposal. It would require a cut of 17% below 2005 levels by 2020, rather than 20% by 2020 as originally proposed.

Mr. Waxman also agreed to give away to electric utilities 35% of the emissions permits that would be created under the bill, rather than require them to pay for the permits.

On Monday, a broad coalition of coal companies, electric utilities, railroads and manufacturers, dubbed the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, launched a new round of advertisements in local districts targeting 15 Democrats on the House committee. The group said the legislation was too strong and would impose new costs on consumers.

A radio spot sponsored by the group and running in the Arkansas district of Democratic Rep. Mike Ross said the legislation “has a one-size-fits-all national renewable energy standard that rewards some states, like California, that have lots of renewable energy, but penalizes other states, like Arkansas, that don’t.”

“I will make my decision on this legislation, just as I do on every bill, by listening to my constituents and doing the necessary research,” Mr. Ross said in a statement on Wednesday.

Mr. Waxman needs 30 of the panel’s 59 voting members to support the measure to pass it out of committee. Virtually all of the panel’s 23 Republicans are expected to oppose it. Mr. Waxman would need most of the 36 Democratic members to side with him.

Undecided lawmakers are increasingly being targeted by ads and activists on both sides.

On Monday, a group of environmental campaigners demonstrated in front of the Houston office of Rep. Gene Green (D., Texas), urging him to support Mr. Waxman’s bill. Mr. Green, whose district is home to the world’s largest petrochemical complex, has threatened to withhold his vote unless Mr. Waxman gives oil and gas refiners more pollution permits for free.

In an interview Wednesday, Mr. Green said he couldn’t support the measure in its current form. He said Mr. Waxman was offering to give away 1% of the allowances to refineries, while he wants 5%.

“We’re talking about a large impact on our constituents, and [Mr. Waxman and his allies are] talking about controlling carbon and saving the world,” Mr. Green said.

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