June 10, 2010
Senate Rejects ‘Dirty Air Act’
Today, the Senate stood up for our environment, clean air and scientific decision-making by beating back a resolution from Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) that would have undercut the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases.
As oil continues to gush into the Gulf of Mexico, this resolution would have given Big Oil free reign to continue polluting while tying EPA’s hands from taking any action.
Currently, EPA has the authority to regulate carbon dioxide and other dangerous gases under the Clean Air Act because these pollutants were found to be a threat to public health.
The Senate voted 47-53, rejecting the proposal that would have prevented EPA from regulating carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide emissions are responsible not only for climate change, but also ocean acidification.
Oceana applauds the Senate for standing up to Big Oil and other polluters, and now we look to their leadership to pass comprehensive climate and energy legislation that reduces our reliance on fossil fuels, reduces carbon dioxide emissions and does no harm to our oceans.
Anna Gowan is a policy fellow at Oceana.