Hammer Into Anvil

The EPA is prepared to use a blunt instrument to do something about climate change. It's crude, but effective: with the hammer in hand and the will to start swinging, the Obama Administration has got the attention of the anvil. No surprise, it doesn't like it.

Rather than do its part to help mutually forge a law between them, some members of Congress would rather destroy the tool:

At first it seemed like simply one bad idea from Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). But now we know the real story—a tangled web of public officials, polluter lobbyists, and efforts to gut the Clean Air Act.

And every day it seems we’re learning more—more about the revolving door between the Bush administration and polluter lobbyists; more about their influence with senators and their staffers; and more about who’s really pulling the strings on efforts to block climate action—Big Oil’s MVP, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.). [emphasis in original]

This is a direct response by last month's decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use its authority to regulate carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions. Said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson:

Business leaders, security experts, government officials, concerned citizens and the United States Supreme Court have called for enduring, pragmatic solutions to reduce the greenhouse gas pollution that is causing climate change. This continues our work towards clean energy reform that will cut GHGs and reduce the dependence on foreign oil that threatens our national security and our economy.

The EPA decision built off the Supreme Court ruling of April 2007, opposed by the then EPA of the Bush Administration.

The use of industry lobbyists to write legislation is not new, but this is a truly brazen and transparently corrupt effort.

Why would a senator from Alaska, called the poster state for global warming, put polluters’ interests ahead of her home state’s climate concerns? In the current campaign cycle, Sen. Murkowski is Congress’ #1 recipient of electric utilities’ money and the #4 recipient of Big Oil money. And Greenpeace is now calling for an investigation of Murkowski’s lobbyist ties.

Despite this week’s revelations, Senators Inhofe & Murkowski could still try to bring to the floor their amendment to gut the Clean Air Act. Your senators need to hear from you. Email your senators right now and ask them to stop this polluter-fueled push to undercut the EPA’s efforts to protect people, wildlife, and our natural resources from the worst effects of global warming.