From the Environmental Law & Policy Center

The Senate will vote Thursday, June 10, on a resolution that would essentially gut the Clean Air Act and block efforts to break our dependence on oil. We need your help today to protect public health and the environment. Tell your senators to vote against U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s (R-Alaska) Resolution of Disapproval (S.J. Res 26) and uphold the Clean Air Act.

The Clean Air Act is one of the most successful public policies in history. Rather than protecting Americans’ well-being, this measure would roll back the clock on 40 years of pollution control, creating an assault on the air we breathe.

This resolution undermines the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Supreme Court-directed endangerment finding that requires the agency to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. It would increase our dependence on oil, even as millions of gallons of crude spew into the Gulf, by rolling back new clean car standards.

Please urge your senators to vote for public health, not big polluters. Urge them to vote against Sen. Murkowski’s Resolution of Disapproval (S.J. Res 26).

The vote is this Thursday. Please write your Senators today!

e-letter from Environmental Law & Policy Center

Editor’s note: Frank Schier, editor & publisher of The Rock River Times, received the following e-mail from the Environmental Law & Policy Center. The e-mail is reproduced here at his request.

Hi Frank,

As oil continues to pour into the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Senate is taking the incredible step of voting Thursday on a bill that would increase U.S. dependence on oil and cost consumers billions at the gas pump. [1] ^[1]

This is crazy. But if we don’t stop this proposal, Big Oil will convince Congress to pass this legislation later this week.

Call your senators today to ask them to vote against this outrageous bill.

The Senate measure, a binding resolution (S.J.R. 26) introduced by Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, would increase Illinois’ dependence on oil by 17 million gallons and cost Illinoisans $44 million at the gas pump in 2016, according to a new analysis by Environment Illinois.

The impacts would be even greater over time. In fact, the EPA estimates that America would use at least 455 million more barrels of oil—an amount of oil equivalent to letting the BP spill continue at the same rate for 65 years—if the bill passes.

With the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico wreaking havoc on people’s livelihoods and the environment, we need to end America’s dependence on oil, not make the problem worse.

The vote is sure to be close—42 senators have already announced their support for it. The measure, which is subject to special Senate rules, needs only a majority vote to pass, meaning that the other side needs just nine more votes to win.[2]

Call your senators today. Now is not the time to weaken the Clean Air Act. Now is not the time to bail out Big Oil. Tell your senators to vote “no” on the Murkowski resolution and get serious about clean energy.

Sen. Murkowski’s resolution would block new Clean Air Act rules, which we fought hard to put in place for nearly a decade, requiring cars and light trucks to use less oil and pollute less. It also would block many additional steps to reduce America’s dependence on oil and other fossil fuels, including standards announced by President Obama in the Rose Garden just two weeks ago.[3] ^[2]

Sen. Murkowski is the No. 3 recipient in Congress of money from Big Oil and the No. 2 recipient of money from electric utilities so far this election cycle.[4 ^[3],5] ^[4]

The bill is supported by Big Oil and other polluters and opposed by a broad coalition including the auto industry, labor, national security experts, clean energy businesses and entrepreneurs, major health organizations, environmental organizations, and governors, top environmental officials, and attorneys general in numerous states.[6] ^[5]

The Senate should defeat the bill and act swiftly to lessen the extensive damage caused in the Gulf, cut our oil dependence, and move to a clean energy economy that caps carbon pollution and finally prioritizes energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy. Click here ^[6] to call your senator today.

Thanks for making it all possible.

Sincerely,

Max Muller
Environment Illinois Program Director
http://www.environmentillinois.org ^[7]

P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this e-mail with your family and friends.

[1] http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20100428/Jackson.Testimony.04.28.2010.pdf. ^[1]

[2] The 42 senators are Sens. Alexander, Barrasso, Bennett (UT), Bond, Brownback, Bunning, Burr, Chambliss, Coburn, Cochran, Corker, Cornyn, Crapo, DeMint, Ensign, Enzi, Graham, Grassley, Gregg, Hatch, Hutchison, Inhofe, Isakson, Johanns, Kyl, Landrieu, LeMieux, Lincoln, Lugar, McCain, McConnell, Murkowski, Nelson, Risch, Roberts, Rockefeller, Sessions, Shelby, Thune, Vitter, Voinovich, and Wicker. With the exception of Sen. Rockefeller, all are cosponsors of S.J.R. 26.

[3] http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/president-obama-directs-administration-create-first-ever-national-efficiency-and-em. ^[2]

[4] http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips.php?ind=E01++&goButt2.x=12&goButt2.y=6&goButt2=Submit. ^[3]

[5] http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips.php?ind=E08++&goButt2.x=11&goButt2.y=11&goButt2=Submit. ^[4]

[6] http://www.usclimatenetwork.org/policy/dirty-air-act-amendment. ^[5]