New York Times: At the global climate change conference in Copenhagen last December, President Obama pledged to cut United States emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020 — if he could get Congress to pass climate and energy legislation, that is. The task proved impossible even with Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress. But now, any legislative progress on the issue will depend on the cooperation of the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives and the incoming majority leader,…