On Thursday the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on a bill to repeal the EPA’s endangerment finding concerning carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.
According to a Reuters story, the bill–introduced by Alaskan Republican Lisa Murkowski–has 40 co-sponsors and is likely to fall short of the 51 votes needed for passage.
The bill is primarily a political move. Even if it passed the Senate, it would likely be defeated in the House or vetoed by President Obama.
It’s somewhat surprising that Senate Majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) would even bring the bill forward for a floor vote. But Reid is trying to determine what combination of energy and climate measures have enough support to pass next month–and this vote will be a good indicator concerning the EPA’s greenhouse gas regulatory authority.
The climate and energy bill unveiled by Senators John Kerry (D-Mass) and Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn) last month revokes the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources under the clean air act. It has become an extremely controversial issue, as environmentalists and left-leaning Democrats want the regulatory authority preserved, even if the US should pass climate change legislation.
According to Senator Chuck Schumer (N-NY), the bill the Reid puts forward in July is likely to be an energy only bill. But a cap-and-trade program for carbon emissions could be offered as an amendment to the bill. Splitting the two issues is viewed as a safer political move before November elections, according to a New York Times story.
Read the full coverage at the link below.
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