Gingrich to testify on warming; late entry

Newt Gingrich has just been added to the witness list for tomorrow’s House hearing on energy and global warming legislation.

Gingrich will appear before a subcommittee hearing immediately follow the testimony of Al Gore and former Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), who are expected to make a bipartisan push for the comprehensive energy legislation introduced by Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.). That legislation includes cap-and-trade provisions.

“Some on the majority side believed for the longest time that the former speaker knows a lot about health policy but not so much about energy or the environment,” said Lisa Miller, a spokeswoman for Republicans on the committee. “When reminded that he was a former professor of environmental studies and wrote two books, ‘Contract with the Earth’ and ‘Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less’, they decided to permit him to testify before a subcommittee. It wasn’t a bad outcome, even if it took awhile.”

Gingrich is a vehement opponent of cap-and-trade. He’s also rumored to be considering a Presidential bid in 2012.