The first congressional hearing to examine the science of the U.N.’s highly publicized climate change report quickly turned into a contentious, partisan fight over environmental policy, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the center of the maelstrom. In departure from normal courtesy Republican’s required Speaker Pelosi to remain to answer questions after she made her initial statement.

The meeting before the House Committee on Science and Technology was convened to discuss the science of climate change but quickly shifted to a policy discussion. The potential negative economic impact of the Kyoto Protocol was cited by Rep. James Sensenbrenner as a compelling factor in the Republican’s earlier rejection of the Protocol.

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