In response, the US Chamber of Commerce welcomed the emphasis on information sharing, but warned it would oppose any follow-up effort to impose new regulations on industry.

BBC: President Obama

The response from his political opponents in the chamber was, relatively, modulated although they may step up the rhetoric as the details are studied and scrutiny begins.

BBC: The Scottish budget fight begins

The result is a much more sensible use of chamber time, with backbencher rewarded by some kind of response from a relevant minister, rather than one harassed sacrificial minister promising repeatedly to get other ministers to write to those who'd spoken.

BBC: Week ahead

"We're challenging Waxman-Markey's cap-and-trade bill, not the need for a legislative response to climate change, " says Karen Harbert, head of the Chamber's Institute for 21st Century Energy.

FORBES: Commentary