The select committee, headed by Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), was seen as a conduit for Democrats to get some of their more ambitious energy plans around Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich), whose defense of Detroit’s automakers have led him to oppose some of the central items on his party’s energy-reform wishlist. Dingell, who served as the Democrats’ top figure on the Energy and Commerce Committee since 1981, is a long-time obstructionist of tighter emissions allowances and vehicle-mileage standards.

In the wake of yesterday’s vote replacing Dingell with Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Cal.) atop the E&C panel, there was some question whether Markey’s panel would be necessary any longer. Pelosi answered the question Friday. From The Hill:

“We do have a need for one more term, because our work is not done,” Pelosi said at her weekly press conference with reporters. “We do not have the climate change legislation that I had hoped we might be closer to, at least at this point.”