Policy update 8/31/10: Two more weeks of recess

The mid-term elections continue to dominate the August congressional recess. Members of Congress will go on campaigning for two more weeks before returning to Washington, D.C. in mid-September. 1Sky and our allies, including 350 and Energy Action Coalition, continue to hammer members of Congress to protect the Clean Air Act and work to address our addiction to fossil fuels and the climate crisis. See coverage in the New York Times.

Congressional Timeline:

• 9/13: Congress returns from recess
• 10/8: Target adjournment for House
• 11/2: Election Day

Key Primary Results

In the Alaska Republican Primary, tea party candidate Joe Miller is on pace to defeat Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) with a 1,900-vote lead with only a few thousand absentee ballots still being counted. Miller is a climate denier who consistently accuses Senator Murkowski of being too moderate on energy issues. This close defeat brings the political effectiveness of Senator Murkowski's attacks on the Clean Air Act into question. Senator Murkowski moved to the right on the issue of Clean Air Act regulations, but was still attacked as a more liberal candidate on energy in general. In the process, Senator Murkowski suffered in-state public criticism for her actions, which certainly didn't help her in such a tight race.

The Anchorage Daily News honed in on the fact that lobbyists helped write Senator Murkowsk's Dirty Air Act. Meanwhile, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) ran TV ads attacking Senator Murkowski for prioritizing out-of-state polluters over the people of Alaska:

Friends of the Earth ran Alaska radio ads (.mp3) highlighting her contributions from corporate polluters and their lobbyists, and Greenpeace's PolluterHarmony mocked her close ties to former Bush administration officials working on behalf of utilities and coal companies to gut the Clean Air Act:

If Miller's lead holds, Senator Burr (R-NC) would be next in line to be ranking member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) won the Senate Republican primary in Arizona by a large margin over former Rep. J.D. Hayworth. Throughout the campaign, Rep Hayworth attacked Senator McCain's efforts to pass climate change legislation, making it difficult for Senator McCain to participate in the legislative process over the past year.

Obama Administration Backs Off on Clean Air and Climate Regulations

Last week the Obama administration announced that new Clean Air Act ozone rules will be delayed by two months. This is one in a series of Clean Air Act standards set to be updated in the coming months. Political analysts believe the Administration is intentionally postponing final rules until after the midterm elections. Coal and oil interests are fighting to have these long-overdue rules further delayed until 2013.

The Obama Administration also urged the Supreme Court to overturn the "nuisance ruling" which allows lawsuits against major emitters for their contributions to global warming. In this recommendation, the Obama Administration's Department of Justice sided with AEP and other utilities against Connecticut and other states impacted by climate change.

The Obama Administration is under a great deal of pressure from coal-burning utilities to exempt toxic coal ash from hazardous waste regulations. 1Sky and our allies are pushing to strengthen public health safeguards for coal ash by sending messages to the EPA, and turning out for public hearings in seven states.

Fall Congressional Outlook

Attacks on the Clean Air Act remain a serious threat as the Senate returns in September. The most visible threat is a proposal by Senator Rockefeller (D-WV) to block the Clean Air Act from regulating big polluters, like coal plants.

A report by the Center for Responsive Politics showed that clients of the oil and gas industry outspent pro-environment groups seven to one. Environmental groups spent $22.4 million on federal lobbying in 2009 (double their annual average from the rest of the decade) but were dwarfed by the dirty energy industry spending $175 million.

Prepared by Jason Kowalski and Gabe Elsner from the 1Sky Policy Team. Please direct questions or comments to jason@1sky.org.