The House of Representatives today passed the Waxman-Markey greenhouse gas reduction bill this evening by a razor-thin 219-212 margin.

I pushed deadline, though, because I wanted to wait until after the bill passed to talk to a few of the key players in the New Mexico community who have followed this bill pro and con. Herewith, some outtakes on some of their comments.

• Jeff Sterba, PNM: Sterba has been a national player in discussions leading up to the bill. His argument is that the science is real, the problem is serious, and therefore regulation for his industry is inevitable. He'd rather have something now that provides a stable, predictable business environment so he can make decisions going forward. "This is a positive step down what is a very long road," Sterba told me. "It's not a perfect bill, but it's certainly doing the right thing."
• John Fogarty, New Energy Economy: Fogarty has emerged as the most visible and forceful New Mexico advocate for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and he's made no secret about his distaste for the bill. One of the key things Sterba likes - free emissions permits for industry - is anathema to Fogarty, who views it as a giveaway to industry. Fogarty argues the government should auction off the emissions permits, making people like Sterba's PNM pay. The proceeds should then be rebated back to the public, to reduce the burden of increased energy costs. Fogarty also thinks the caps aren't tough enough to deal with the underlying climate problem. "It's not going to get the job done," Fogarty told me.
• Bob Gallagher, New Mexico Oil and Gas Association: New Mexico is an energy-producing state. While in the long run renewable energy advocates hope our wind and solar resources will become a major export industry, for now energy here equals coal, oil and natural gas, and Gallagher's organization represents the producers of two of those three resources. Bob's not shy about expressing his discomfort with the bill. "I think it's a sad occasion," Gallagher told me when I tracked him down in New Jersey, where he was preparing for a wedding Saturday of old family friends. Gallagher believes the legislation will hurt his organization's members by driving up their cost of doing business.