House passes energy bill – momentous

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who spent the last week personally lobbying Democrats who opposed parts of the bill, called it "a momentous decision on energy and global warming." The House also voted to repeal $16 billion in tax breaks given to the oil and gas industry, shifting the money into programs to boost biofuels, renewable energy and efficiency programs. The measure provides $3.5 billion to install E-85 pumps and expand production of cellulosic ethanol - a provision that could help the Bay Area, which has emerged as a biofuels development hub with major research centers at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The vote was a victory for Democrats, marking a U-turn from six years of Republican policies that mostly subsidized increased production of oil, gas, nuclear and coal energy.