The House has narrowly passed a climate bill that would limit greenhouse gas emissions and impose a cap-and-trade system allowing firms to trade emissions permits. The measure would cut emissions 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050. The measure passed by a slim margin Friday of 219-to-212. President Obama hailed the vote as a major victory.

President Obama: “The fact is, just weeks ago, few in Washington believed that this day would come to pass.”

Most Republicans voted against the measure. The Hill newspaper reports House Minority Leader John Boehner even referred to the bill using an expletive. But several Democrats also opposed it for not going far enough to reduce pollution. Environmentalist critics say the emissions cuts are too low and could be easily avoided through flawed methods of monitoring compliance. The measure also provides billions of dollars in subsidies for the coal industry. In congressional debate before the vote, Congress member Dennis Kucinich called the measure a boon for polluters.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich: “The bill allows two billion tons of carbon dioxide a year, roughly equivalent to 30 percent of all US greenhouse gas emissions. Supporters of the bill point out that coal use will increase by 2020, because electric utilities will continue to use dirty coal, the prime source of pollution. With two billion tons of offsets per year, we’re told electric utilities will reduce carbon emissions at places other than their generating plants. So they really don’t have to actually decrease their emissions, and coal-fired CO2 emissions will increase through 2025. No wonder there are twenty-six active coal plant applications. Increased CO2 emissions will be our gift to the next generation. Apparently, the planet is not melting; with this bill, it’s just getting better for polluters.”