Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) has decided to co-sponsor Senator Lisa Murkowski's (R-AK) amendment that would block the EPA from being able to use the Clean Air Act to regulate carbon emissions from dirty coal plants. 

1Sky organizer Jonathan Henderson said, "I'm very disappointed she's siding with lobbyists and big business, Wall Street interests instead of Louisiana families and small businesses and hope she'll reconsider. Louisiana needs policies that will push us forward into clean energy economy, not push us back to the failed energy policies of the past. Our wetlands, coast and communities are at stake."

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1Sky was among many U.S. environmental organizations that sent representatives to Copenhagen in December. 1Sky Steering Committee member and director of the Energy Action Coalition, Jessy Tolkan, was there and is calling for ten times as strong an effort to get a world-changing bill passed this year.

Addressing the emotion and outrage some environmental leaders felt at the end of the conference Tolkan said, "Never again am I going to sit in the room with an elected official and be told that our movement isn't strong enough. I'm going to go home and do my part to make it 10 times as big."

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On January 12th over 175 Colorado activists placed calls into Senators Bennet and Udall's offices urging them to prioritize climate legislation in 2010. Activists particularly urged their Senators to vote 'no' on Senator Lisa Murkowski's (R-AK) proposed amendment to block the EPA from being able to use the Clean Air Act to regulate carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants.

"The Clean Air Act is one of the most successful environmental laws ever created and we must defend it from the interests of the Big Oil and Dirty Coal industries that have gotten behind the Murkowski amendment," said 1Sky Campaign Director Gillian Caldwell.

1Sky Colorado Organizer Micah Parkin added, "Passing strong climate legislation in 2010 starts with this fight to block Senator Murkowski's move to neuter the clean Air Act."

The Murkowski amendment may be up for a vote on January 20th, one day after Senators get back from their winter recess.

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1Sky has organized a Nationwide Senate call-in day for next Tuesday, January 12th, urging activists, allies, and supporters to call their state Senators to tell them to support a strong, comprehensive climate bill in 2010. 1Sky also emphasizes the importance of pushing Senators to vote 'No' on the Murkowski (R-Alaska) amendement, which would strip the Clean Air Act of its ability to crack down on dirty coal plants.

Now that health care legislation has passed it's time to turn to climate. Alex Posorske, 1Sky field and communications manager said, "We don't really think the climate can wait."

In regards to the Murkowski amendement Posorske added, "We see that as another giveaway to the coal industry."

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Whether and how fossil fuel subsidies will be redirected to help developing nations mitigate climate change and develop green technology is a big issue in Copenhagen this month. Developing nations need financial help from the U.S. and other developed nations to develop green technology to reduce their own emissions, preserve their natural resources, and to be willing to sign a binding climate agreement in Copenhagen.

1Sky Campaign Director Gillian Caldwell said, "The solution is obvious: we must stop subsidizing big polluters and use that money to help developing countries transition to a clean energy econmy."

She added, "This isn't rocket science...In fact, thanks to Obama, the leaders of the G20 countries committed this fall to phasing out their fossil fuel subsidies - and insiders say Obama has been weighing whether to use that money for climate finance."

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Dozens of people attended the 'Climate Crisis Vigil' outside of the Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday. Among them was Katy Walter, 1Sky Wisconsin organizer. She said, "The U.S. has historically been a world leader, and unfortunately, we haven't led on climate change, and because of that, the rest of the world has been waiting on us."

After asking for a binding international climate treaty at the rally, attendees went to Memorial Union to write letters to the editor and make calls into Senator's Feingold (D-WI) and Kohl's (D-WI) offices, urging them to support clean energy legislation in the Senate.

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