US House To Vote On Giving Subpoena Power To Oil Spill Panel

22nd Jun 2010 16:56

By Martin Vaughan Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The House will vote this week on a measure to give subpoena power to an independent commission investigating the oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. "We believe subpoena power is necessary," said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D., Md.) in a press conference Tuesday. The commission, appointed by President Barack Obama to investigate the causes of the explosion and the ongoing spill and make recommendations, is chaired by former Sen. Bob Graham (D., Fla.) and former Environmental Protection Agency chief William Reilly. The House will consider the bill under rules for expedited approval of bills that aren't expected to be controversial, Hoyer said. It was not immediately known whether the Senate will act on the bill. -By Martin Vaughan, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9244; [email protected] (END) Dow Jones Newswires June 22, 2010 11:56 ET (15:56 GMT)