The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday narrowly passed a bill aimed at capping and reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and lowering the country's dependence on foreign oil.

The bill, named the American Clean Energy and Security Act, was passed by a vote of 219-212 after hours of bitter debate. It calls for a 17-percent reduction in emissions of heat-trapping gases from the 2005 levels by 2020 and an 83-percent reduction by 2050.

It establishes a cap-and-trade program to control climate-altering emissions, dictates an increase in the use of renewable energy sources, and sets new efficiency standards for buildings, lighting and industrial facilities.

Democrats hailed the legislation as historic, while Republicans said it would damage the economy without solving the nation's energy woes.

It is "the most important energy and environmental legislation in the history of our country," said Representative Edward Markey of Massachusetts. "It sets a new course for our country, one that steers us away from foreign oil and towards a path of clean American energy."

However, House Republican leader John Boehner called the measure "the biggest job-killing bill that has ever been on the floor of the House of Representatives."

U.S. President Barack Obama praised the House of Representatives for passing the legislation, saying "it's a bold and necessary step that holds the promise of creating new industries and millions of new jobs, decreasing our dangerous dependence on foreign oil."

"Now it's up to the Senate to take the next step," he added.

The U.S. Senate is expected to try to write its own version of a climate change bill, but prospects for this year were uncertain.

(Xinhua News Agency June 27, 2009)