Senate rejects measure to stop EPA on climate

[ProSense]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Senate rejected a measure on Wednesday to permanently stop the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions blamed for warming the planet.

The EPA's rules to fight emissions remain one of President Barack Obama's key strategies to reduce dependence on fossil fuels coal, oil, and natural gas and generate more domestic alternative energy.

In a vote that came as blow to Republicans who had hoped to pick up more support from Democrats facing tight elections next year, senators rejected the measure sponsored by Republican Leader Mitch McConnell by a tally of 50 to 50, short of the 60 votes needed to pass.

The Senate also rejected three other amendments sponsored by Democrats that would have limited the EPA, including one by Jay Rockefeller, from coal-rich West Virginia, which would have postponed the agency from regulating the gases for two years.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110406/pl_nm/us_usa_climate_congress_1

[pinto]

1. Good to hear.

:thumbsup:

[mvd]

2. K&R

Chalk another one off the Repukes' extremist wish list.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. Good news!

Recommended.

[Drale]

4. Woot Woot!!

[underpants]

5. McConnell has greenhouse gases in his jowls

[jillan]

6. Yep - he is definitely full of hot air masses.

[gratuitous]

7. This is what they're working on instead of a jobs program?

Where are the jobs, boys? Oopsie, time for another two week recess coming up. See y'all in May!

[abqmufc]

8. Mixed views...

Glad the Agency still has the ability to address GHG reduction via the Act, but I am frightened to death at what this Administration and DC power brokers view as the method to achieve this.

Burying CO2 under Iowa farms or Colorado Tribal land is not a Clean Coal Technology, it is avoiding the issue at hand.
Carbon offsets (cap-n-trade) is nothing more than indigenous peoples being kicked off their native land in places like South America and Africa by major corporations (Monsanto) so that they can transform the landscape into a mono-crop industrial farm which will be very water and pesticide (herbicide) dependent. Those farms will count as carbon offsets for American corporations...but in reality they are nothing more than another form of imperialism and assimilation of indigenous peoples. Furthermore, when has capitalism (cap-n-trade) solved anything? Yeah it worked for acid rain, but this is different.

I sat on EPA's Clean Air Act Advisory Committee for the past 6 years, I've seen the ideas first hand this Administration has in place to limit GHGs and they are a joke.

[karynnj]

9. They defeated all 4 amendments

Here is the list of Senators voting for taking away the authority forever:

Alexander (R-TN)
Ayotte (R-NH)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Blunt (R-MO)
Boozman (R-AR)
Brown (R-MA) = Mr I am independent and read all the bills, though I can not speak of them in detail voted against his state
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coats (R-IN)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hoeven (R-ND)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Johnson (R-WI)
Kirk (R-IL) - one of the points the Republicans made when he ran was that he was moderate and voted for Waxman/Markey
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lee (R-UT)
Lugar (R-IN)
Manchin (D-WV) Shot the cap and trade bill in his ad - no surprise - and he runs again in 2012
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Moran (R-KS)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Nelson (D-NE)
Paul (R-KY)
Portman (R-OH)
Pryor (D-AR)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rubio (R-FL)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Snowe (R-ME) Likely is trying to avoid a primary, which she is likely to get anyway - this and other votes (ie the budget) may cause her trouble in the general
Thune (R-SD)
Toomey (R-PA)
Vitter (R-LA)
Wicker (R-MS)

(Collins is the only Republican to vote against this.)

Here are the ayes on the Rockefeller bill that would have taken it away for two years:

Brown (R-MA)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND) - no on McConnell
Graham (R-SC)
Johnson (D-SD) - no on McConnell
Landrieu (D-LA)
Manchin (D-WV)
McCaskill (D-MO) - no on McConell
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Rockefeller (D-WV) - no on McConnell
Webb (D-VA) - no on McConnell

(Even if the Republicans would have taken half a loaf and went with this - there would still be 45 nos if you take anyone voting yes for either - and it needs 60.)

Here were the ayes on Baucus's bill - Baucus (D-MT)
Begich (D-AK)
Conrad (D-ND)
Hagan (D-NC)
Johnson (D-SD)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Levin (D-MI)

and the ayes on Stabenow's bill:
Brown (D-OH)
Casey (D-PA)
Conrad (D-ND)
Johnson (D-SD)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Pryor (D-AR)
Stabenow (D-MI)


It looks to me like Democrats that could be hurt by voting against this, opted to vote for one or more of the 3 Democratic bills - all of which failed.

I had worried that these votes were pushe back due to not having the votes - so this is a pleasant surprise.

[TomCADem]

10. Senate rejects measure to stop EPA on climate

Source: Reuters

The U.S. Senate rejected a measure on Wednesday to kill the Environmental Protection Agency's regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, handing President Barack Obama a victory in his effort to quicken the move to clean energy.

The EPA's rules, which it began rolling out on polluters such as power plants and oil refineries early this year, are one of Obama's top strategies to show the world the United States is fighting climate change.

Republicans, who were able to block a climate and energy bill last year, hoped to pick up support from Democrats in energy-dependent states facing tight elections next year on the measure sponsored by Republican leader Mitch McConnell.

* * *
(The Senate) rejected an approach that would have increased the nation's dependence on oil, contradicted the scientific consensus on global warming, and jeopardized America's ability to lead the world in the clean energy economy," said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/07/us-climate-congress-idUSTRE7357HU20110407

---

Watch the corporate funded Tea Party types to scream that greenhouse gas regulation is socialism, and the corporate sock puppets to still insist that liberals should ignore this because there is no difference between Republicans and Democrats despite Republicans efforts to kill unions, destroy Medicare, and undermine environmental regulations.

[wtmusic]

11. Good news for planet Earth. nt

[tpsbmam]

12. It's just appalling that it even got far enough for a vote.

Absolutely zero shame and even less intelligence. Guess they don't give a rat's ass about their own grandchildren's ability to breathe without the benefit of an oxygen mask. Absolute morons.

K&R for dunderhead visibility.

[rpannier]

13. Jesus is coming in May So Greenhouse gases are not important

Only being rapture ready

And if not May, then 2012 or 2013.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Zorra]

15. Dems that voted with the enemy: Manchin, Landrieu, Pryor, and Ben Nelson

3 of the perennial usual suspect traitors: Landrieu, Nelson, Pryor. They need to be replaced by Democrats.

Four Democrats – Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Ben Nelson (Neb.), Mary Landrieu (La.) and Mark Pryor (Ark.) – joined most Republicans in voting for the measure; one Republican, Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), joined Democrats in voting against it.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/2chambers/post/senate-rejects-bill-that-would-limit-epas-authority-to-regulate-greenhouse-gas-emissions/2011/04/06/AFHjb3qC_blog.html

[bemildred]

16. Good. nt

[Uncle Joe]

17. Kicked and recommended for the Senate adhering to logic and common sense.

Thanks for the thread, ProSense.

[truebrit71]

18. Finally some good news...

...