On April 24, Chairman of the House Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee Rick Boucher (D-VA) said that the Republican leadership is not allowing the rank-and-file Republicans to enter negotiations on a mandatory cap-and-trade bill. Boucher said that without the support of Republicans, he doubts that legislation is possible.
Boucher noted that it would be bad policy and politically unsuccessful to try to pass a purely partisan bill. Boucher has said several times that he wants to draft a climate change bill that can win the support of some Congressional Republicans and ultimately win the support of President Bush. Boucher added that he does not know what the next step will be unless the Republicans are prepared to cooperate in the House.