"Dirty Air Act": The vote that should've never happened

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I remain outraged and horrified that during the largest oil spill in U.S. history, the U.S. Senate considered giving a bailout to Big Oil and Dirty Coal.

And many senators voted to do just that!

When I talk to friends and family, they are glued to the TV watching the events unfold, asking:

• How did this happen?
• How can we stop it?
• How do we make sure it never happens again?
• What are our leaders doing about it?

What are our leaders doing? Sadly enough, they are voting to give more money and more loopholes to Big Oil through the 'Dirty Air Act'.

That is why we are asking people to join us in the Hands Across the Sand [2] events on June 26 (click here [3] for more info). It is our time to draw a line in the sand. It is our time to demand that our leaders clean up the Gulf and transition to a clean energy economy.

Yes, we won. We won a fight we should have never have had to fight. Yesterday, the Senate did defeat the 'Dirty Air Act”.

But senators who voted for the “Dirty Air Act” should be ashamed of themselves. It really is equal to voting to disband airport security in the weeks following 9/11.

How will we respond to those senators who actually voted for this irresponsible legislation? Next week we will deliver a symbolic “Oily Bird Award” to senators who voted Yes on the 'Dirty Air Act.' The stuffed birds just arrived in the office. In the next few minutes, they will be transformed into birds covered in oil, like the real birds suffering in the Gulf right now.

These days I can barely sleep at night from concern over what is unfolding in the Gulf. I hope that a few senators are losing sleep as well over their vote for a Big Oil bailout. If not, we'll be there to remind them.