We Can't Let Sen. Murkowski Hold the U.S. Back by Taking the 'P' out of EPA

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Our government is a complicated thing. Decisions affecting huge issues can come in many forms. That's one reason why we have three branches of government. For example, let's say that two branches (the Obama Administration and the Supreme Court) find in favor of one thing (let's say, the EPA's ability to regulate power plants under the Clean Air Act). One would think it would be pretty clear the decision was solid.

Unfortunately it seems that one senator, Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) doesn't see it that way.

Senator Murkowski is currently proposing an amendment to an appropriations bill that would remove the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to, well, protect American families and the global climate from CO² pollution. This ability was upheld by the Supreme Court in a major 2007 case, Massachusetts v. EPA [2] – one of the finest examples of science-based legal decision in recent memory. Just as a reminder, this was George W. Bush's Supreme Court, not some crazy liberal activist court.

Senator Murkowski doesn't seem to care much for legal or legislative precedent however. Her amendment to an appropriations bill, not energy or climate, works to prevent the EPA from regulating carbon dioxide emissions, effectively letting Big Coal continue to reign supreme and spew tons more pollution into the skies than the Clean Air Act allows.

Passing this amendment, which requires 60 votes and will be up for vote January 20, also deals a huge blow to prospects of massive job growth from clean energy development. If the EPA is able to regulate CO², as common sense and the law mandates, it would provide a huge boost to clean, American energy industries like solar and wind, creating thousands of green jobs [3] and helping the country fight back from the current recession.

The time is now to tell our senators that we can't keep bending to the will of Big Coal and Big Oil. If the United States is to be a global economic and moral leader through the 21st Century we need to keep progressing in how we do our day-to-day business. Continuing with 20th Century ways will only hold us back as the rest of the world moves on without us.

Tuesday, January 12, we will be hosting a national call-in day [4] to senators' home offices to help Americans like you tell your senators that we can't allow the Murkowski amendment to hold us back. It is time to move forward and keep the 'P' in EPA.