WASHINGTON — Overcoming deep divisions within its Democratic majority, the House passed legislation on Friday intended to address the threat of global warming and transform the way the United States produces and uses energy. The vote was 219 to 212. The vote was the first time either house of Congress had approved a bill intended to curb the heat-trapping gases scientists have linked to climate change, and its provisions could lead to sweeping changes in many sectors of the American economy, including electric power generation, agriculture, manufacturing and construction. The House vote also establishes a marker for the United States when international negotiations on a new global climate change treaty begin later this year. ‘This legislation will break our dependence on foreign oil, make our nation a leader in clean energy jobs and cut global warming pollution, said Representative Henry A. Waxman, Democrat of California, a co-sponsor of the bill, adding that Friday’s vote was a ‘decisive and historic action that would position the United States as a leader in energy efficiency and technology. The bill’s provisions forcing reductions in the use of fossil fuel while increasing production of alternative energy sources would produce millions of […]