“Waxman’s victory is a breath of fresh air — of clean air. It was a stunning defeat for the corporate lobbyists on K Street,” said Frank O’Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch. “It shows that a majority of the House Democrats are ready to work with the incoming Obama administration on effective global warming legislation.”

In a statement congratulating Waxman, Dingell acknowledged that it is a “year of change.” He renewed his commitment “to protecting and creating jobs, to providing health care for all Americans, to working to getting our state and nation’s economy back on track.”

Pelosi is a home state ally of Waxman and has tangled with Dingell in the past, but she has not publicly taken sides in the battle and did not pressure members privately to back Waxman. But her support of Waxman was wel http://www.wxyz.com/news/local…..d1f09e591l known and played a role in the strong tally.

I like Henry Waxman, yes I do. And John Dingell, Gawdluvem – he’s been in Congress since I was 2 years old and I’m fucking OLD!

On the environmental issues, Dingell last year floated the idea of a tax on carbon emissions–an idea that was never expected to go anywhere because lawmakers would be hesitant to vote for tax increases, particularly with an election in sight. Waxman, by contrast, has favored strict cuts on greenhouse gas emissions.

There’s a chance the California Democrat could also remove coal advocate Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., from the chairmanship of a subcommittee on energy and air quality. One potential replacement: Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., an advocate of tougher climate change restrictions.

In his current role as the House’s top watchdog, Waxman has a reputation for being tough. In recent months, he’s taken to task hedge fund managers, financial regulators and former Lehman Brothers (nyse: LEHMQ – news – people ) Chief Executive Richard Fuld.

He’s likely to apply his skeptical eye toward corporate greed to his new post. That’s a big deal for business, as the Energy and Commerce Committee also deals with food and drug safety, health care and telecommunications legislation.

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Waxman’s victory is a seismic event on Capitol Hill, as he has unseated one of the most powerful members of Congress, who since 1981 has been the top Democrat on the influential Energy and Commerce Committee. But it was not entirely unexpected. Wednesday, the party’s panel that votes on committee chairmanships gave Waxman the nod by a 25-22 vote.

However, it’s also a signal that Democrats are looking for a slate of leaders that is less likely to clash with President-elect Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on energy and climate issues.

“A Waxman win changes the character of House Democrats’ views toward coal and cars, the two principal sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. economy,” says Kevin Book, an energy analyst with FBR Capital Markets

No word yet from Detroit, but the Big Three can’t be thrilled. During the debate over last year’s energy bill, which modified fuel economy standards, Pelosi was forced to work out a compromise with Dingell to pass the bill. Dingell’s critics have often claimed that if he weren’t the committee’s chairman, fuel economy standards would have been raised long ago, though it should be noted that Republicans could have done the same thing when they controlled the committee from 1994 to 2006.

GM and Ford were also among Dingell’s top seven contributors, each providing the Michigan Democrat with $13,000 during the 2008 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

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