Little-known committee may decide Energy and Commerce chairmanship

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is officially neutral in the chairmanship race between Reps. Henry Waxman and John Dingell, but even without taking sides, she can steer the process one way or the other.

Pelosi (D-Calif.) picks 15 members of the 54-member Steering and Policy Committee, which makes chairmanship recommendations to the full caucus.

{mosads}The little-publicized panel will meet at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday to make its recommendations to the full caucus.

The panel is expected to send the names of both Waxman (D-Calif.) and Dingell (D-Mich.) to the full caucus on Thursday for a vote on the Energy and Commerce Committee chairmanship. But the people Pelosi selects could provide key hints as to where Pelosi stands in the seminal race.

The committee consists of 26 members of leadership, including chief deputy whips and leading committee chairmen, representatives from each of 12 regions picked by members from those regions, a freshman member elected by the freshman class, and 15 appointments by Pelosi.

Pelosi’s office declined to comment on the appointments, but the Speaker has stated her neutrality several times in the past weeks.

Of the steering committee’s 26 leadership members, six have committed to Dingell, including Dingell himself. One, Steering and Policy Co-chairman George Miller (D-Calif.), has publicly committed to Waxman. The Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman is not included on the steering committee, so Waxman does not sit on it.

The regional members were to be elected after Tuesday’s Democratic Caucus meeting. Pelosi was to make her appointments before Wednesday’s meeting. Neither list was available by press time.

In the committee’s closed meeting, members’ names are put into contention by nominations. Then the panel holds a secret ballot.

The name of any member who gets 14 or more votes then goes to the full caucus. If a member gets fewer than 13 votes, his or her name can go to the full caucus only if 50 members sign a letter of support. Either man should be able to get that many signatures if he does not get the 14 votes. But the recommendation of Steering and Policy is seen as a recommendation from leadership and usually carries great weight among the caucus.

The Thursday vote will also be done by secret ballot. A Democratic leadership aide told The Hill that the race “will be close.”

Representatives of both Waxman and Dingell said they have the votes. A simple majority in the caucus picks the chairman.

The outcome of the race could determine who holds sway over key parts of President-elect Barack Obama’s agenda, including climate change, energy and healthcare. But Obama, who resigned from the Senate Sunday, is staying out of the House fight, said transition spokesman Nick Shapiro.

If Waxman wins, there is also a fight brewing over who will chair the Oversight and Government Reform Committee between Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.), the most senior member after Waxman, and two other senior members, Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Elijah Cummings (D-Md.).

It is not clear when Steering and Policy or the caucus would elect a new chairman.

Dingell, who has waged a much more public fight, picked up the endorsements of several more members Tuesday, including four Hispanic members, Reps. Charles Gonzalez (D-Texas),  John Salazar (D-Colo.), Ruben Hinojosa (D-Texas) and Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas). Also announcing their support for Dingell Tuesday were Reps. Marion Berry (D-Ark.), Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) and Ron Kind (D-Wis.). Also Tuesday, a spokeswoman for Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) confirmed he’s supporting Dingell.

Leadership members have stayed steadfastly neutral, though many believe that Pelosi is quietly backing Waxman and that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) is likely to back Dingell. But in an appearance Tuesday, Hoyer refused to pick sides.

“I’ve had discussions with both of them,” Hoyer said. “I hope it ends peacefully.”