McConnell fails to get majority to deny climate science and block EPA Clean Air rules
"McConnell fails to get majority to deny climate science and block EPA Clean Air rules"
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Yesterday the Senate voted on four anti-climate amendments. The aim was to hobble the EPA’s limited action to set standards for carbon pollution from the largest industrial sources, such as giant coal-fired power plants and oil refineries that already emit other pollution covered by the Clean Air Act.
Brad Johnson has the details on the four amendments, none of which were adopted:
McConnell Amendment: Four pollution-fueled Democrats embraced the “Energy Tax Prevention Act” “” the extremist legislation introduced by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) to literally deny the science of global warming. The Democrats who voted for the McConnell amendment, which failed by a 50-50 vote, were Sen. Mary Landrieu (LA), Joe Manchin (WV), Ben Nelson (NE), and Mark Pryor (AR). In the 2010 cycle, Koch Industries contributed $39,500 to Landrieu, $36,500 to Nelson, and $30,000 to Pryor. Manchin’s 2010 election was fueled by over $500,000 from coal and oil interests.
Rockefeller Amendment: Nine Democrats voted for Sen. Jay Rockefeller’s (D-WV) amendment for a two-year moratorium on climate rules, which failed by a 12-88 vote: Sen. Kent Conrad (ND), Tim Johnson (SD), Landrieu, Manchin, Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Nelson, Pryor, Rockefeller, and Jim Webb (VA).
Stabenow-Brown Amendment: Seven Democrats voted for Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI and Sen. Sherrod Brown’s (D-OH) amendment to suspend, for 2 years, any Environmental Protection Agency enforcement of greenhouse gas regulations, to exempt American agriculture from greenhouse gas regulations, and to increase the number of companies eligible to participate in the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit Program, which failed 7-93: Brown, Robert Casey (PA), Conrad, Amy Klobuchar (MN), Johnson, Pryor, and Stabenow.
Baucus Amendment: Seven Democrats voted for Sen. Max Baucus’s (D-MT) amendment to prohibit the regulation of greenhouse gases from certain sources, which also failed 7-93: Baucus, Mark Begich (AK), Kay Hagan (NC), Carl Levin (MI), Klobuchar, Conrad, and Johnson.
The bad news is that 17 Democrats voted for one of those four bad amendments. These are the “dirty dems”: Baucus (MT), Begich (AK), Brown (OH), Casey (PA), Conrad (ND), Hagan (NC), Johnson (SD), Klobuchar (MN), Landrieu (LA), Levin (MI), Manchin (WV), McCaskill (MO), Nelson (NE), Pryor (AR), Rockefeller (WV), Stabenow (MI), and Webb (VA).
Only Sen. Susan Collins (ME) broke the Republican ranks to vote against the McConnell amendment, voting instead for Rockefeller’s two-year delay bill. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Scott Brown (R-MA) voted for both the Rockefeller and McConnell amendments.
While it is true that, 64 Senators voted for at least one amendment to impede climate action in the future (enough to beat a filibuster but not a veto), it still seems doubtful that any one amendment could be crafted to get 60.
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Isn’t it interesting how few Republicans voted for the Democrat-authored anti-EPA amendments that aligned with their own interests? None at all for the Baucus and Stabenow-Brown amendments, and only three for the Rockefeller amendment. Either there were provisions in those amendments they didn’t like, or they just refuse to vote for anything that was introduced by a Democrat.
Great news. I think many of us only hoped nothing could pass the Senate on this, and now we can be confident.
Great news, but it does seem bizarre the Republicans couldn’t get behind the Rockefeller amendment, surely knowing the McConnell amendment would fail. I guess Republicans aren’t willing to compromise even when it temporarily achieves their goals, which does not bode well for budget negotiations.
The Democratic-sponsored amendments went down in flames because of Republican knee-jerk reaction to anything the Dems offer. This is similar to what they’re doing in the House by moving the goalposts on the budget even as the Dems give in to most of what they requested last week. However, the wide margins of defeat for the Dem amendments are a sure sign that the senators who voted for it were pretty sure the amendments would fail. Look at all the states represented by the Dems who voted “aye”: None are in the Northeast or the West Coast or really solid Blue States. Since, sadly, it is common wisdom that climate legislation is dead, these senators need some “business friendly” votes they can point to when they’re up for reelection. Are most of these senators up for reelection next year? That would explain it.
That the McConnell amendment required Biden’s tie-breaking vote AND a defection from one of the two sensible Republicans left in the Senate is a little worrying. At least someone is counting the votes to make sure all the worried little senators get their votes in for the polluters while still preventing the gutting of environmental regs.
Thank goodness these were stopped. I would have bet the McConnell amendment would have had the hardest time and that one of the others definitely would have passed (assuming bipartisanship).
As sault mentioned above the McConnell amendment (of all of them!) almost made it through.
Thank goodness the Republicans didn’t want to partner with the Democratic turncoats on the non McConnell amendments (certainly defies logic on the issue, especially in the Senate). GOP bull headed-ness comes through and delivers for us (for the moment).
Definitely nice to see a silver lining of this cloud of terrible news for climate change action we’ve been having for so long. Enjoy this feeling while we’ve got it (till the next time these guys try again).
Mitch McConnell is the embodiment of everything that has gone wrong in this country. I’m shocked that a man who so obviously reports for work for the oil companies and banks can pass himself off as some kind of statesman. Whatever the polluters want, he is for.
The US Senate was not able to pass climate legislation that would have regulated CO2 even though the Senate was controlled by Democrats who are usually portrayed as friends of the environment. Obama had threatened if congress did not act the EPA would; ironically based on the ruling of a conservative court that the EPA has the power and duty to regulate CO2. So now that congress has failed to do its job, the next step is for Congress to hobble the EPA. This in a nut shell illustrates the enormous power the Koch Brothers and other like minded industrialists have gained over government machinery in the USA.
I also believe there is an element of foreign meddling (AKA Stephen Harper) at work here. Hillary Clinton was going to approve the XL pipeline to bring millions of barrels of tar sands oil to the USA from Canada until environmentalists called her out on it and she was forced to submit the approval to a full environmental review. Harper is a slimy character. Karl Rove has been on Harper’s payroll now for several years. I wouldn’t be surprised if he (Harper) was behind the stolen e-mails at East Anglia. Unless people wake up soon and turn their gaze from faux news there will be no livable environment for their kids and grand kids.