I said yesterday that SB12, one of the very few clean air bills to make it through the committee process this session, was supposed to finally come up for final passage last night. Unfortunately, Rep. Dennis Bonnen struck again:

For the second day in a row Wednesday, House Environmental Regulation Chairman Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, postponed his bill rather than expose his colleagues to what he called a politically risky vote.

The bill was slated for final passage Tuesday, when Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, proposed an amendment to set statewide standards for toxic air emissions.

Bonnen disagreed with the amendment and postponed the bill. He did the same on Wednesday, telling House members the amendment has no chance of receiving the two-thirds support needed to attach it to the bill.

He accused Farrar of trying to "expose certain members to political retaliation" and negative editorials in the Houston Chronicle.

"I'm not going to allow this body to be used as a political body when it is a legislative body about making policy," said Bonnen in an interview.

Maybe Bonnen's just cranky after quitting his job in the wake of a verbal spat with the Greater Houston Partnership over his anti-clean air obstinacy. I mean, when you look up "Establishment Bidnessmen" in Wikipedia, you get redirected to the GHP homepage. If these guys are telling you that adopting California's low-emission vehicles program is a good idea, then what exactly is holding you back?

Oh, well. On the plus side for Bonnen, he did manage to get SB1317 out of committee, which is pretty much his purpose in the Lege. No politics there, right, Dennis?