Senate Rejects Dirty Air Act, But There’s No Time To Celebrate…
Editor’s Note: Greenpeace issued the following statement yesterday from Global Warming Legislative Representative Kyle Ash in response to the vote in the US Senate on Senator Murkowski’s resolution to block the EPA from addressing greenhouse gasses under the Clean Air Act.
“The US Senate defeated Senator Murkowski’s Dirty Air Act to increase self-regulating by oil and coal companies, but this is no time to become complacent. Today’s win, 53:47, was nowhere near a blowout in our favor, so it is a sign that Congress is not prioritizing clean energy. Today’s vote was not only about supporting coal and oil companies; the Senate was deciding whether or not to censure the President and EPA for agreeing that global warming is real.
“Other champions for the fossil fuel industry have lined up already with their own bills. The next attack against the Clean Air Act in the Senate will be led by Senator Rockefeller, who is supported by other Democratic Senators that voted against Murkowski. Without a strong campaign by President Obama to protect the Clean Air Act, and his authority to use it, polluter lobbyists will be emboldened and stronger.
“It was no surprise that oil companies supported Murkowski. As Senator Stabenow noted on the Senate floor, Murkowski’s resolution would have caused the federal fuel economy program to collapse. American cars would remain gas-guzzlers and oil companies would profit. With as much as 205 million gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf by a British Petroleum oil rig, Congress should turn their attention to making polluters pay for the damage they cause and getting America off oil for good.”
Sen. Rockefeller’s bill would effectively have the same result as Murkowski’s resolution, though under the guise of delaying EPA action for years rather than definitively blocking it.
Pressure needs to continue to be put on the Senate to ensure they do not bend to the oil and coal lobbies and roll back one of the best tools we have to regulate greenhouse gases and fight climate change.
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Image Credit: Treehugger.com