How long does it take a speed reader to read 900 pages aloud?

A while.

The other week, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Henry Waxman was trying to get the climate change bill through his committee (the bill that would create a cap-and-trade system -- it's not that great, but it'd be a huge step). But Rep. Joe Barton, the esteemed ranking member of the committee, wanted to stop the progress. He threatened that he might make the clerk read the whole 948-page bill (and possibly all of the amendments the Republicans proposed).

In the end, Barton didn't make them read the bill. But Waxman had already hired a speed reader, just in case, so Barton indulged and had the speed reader read the first bit of the bill:



Even with that guy, it still would have taken a long time to read the thing -- about 9 hours, according to the WSJ. Climate Progress has more.