Anti-Climate Amendments Under Senate Consideration: McConnell, Rockefeller, Baucus, Stabenow 70
The small business legislation SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2011 (S. 493), introduced by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), is being used as a vehicle for senators who wish to prevent regulation of greenhouse pollution from oil refineries, coal-fired power plants, heavy industry, and other major emitters. Four amendments, varying from the Upton-Inhofe legislation to prevent any and all action by the Environmental Protection Agency against climate change, to a two-year suspension of climate rules from Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.), have been introduced. Votes on some combination of the amendments are expected to take place as early as Thursday afternoon.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has introduced amendment 183, the Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011, first introduced by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.). The amendment is cosponsored by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Pat Toomey (R-Penn.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.). The amendment calls for:- The permanent prohibition on Clean Air Act regulation of greenhouse gases, other than the existing motor vehicle rules
- Repeal of the greenhouse gas endangerment finding and reporting requirements
- Preventing any future California waiver for tailpipe greenhouse emissions
- A two-year suspension of stationary source regulations of carbon dioxide and methane
- Forbidding regulation of greenhouse gases from a emitter that doesn’t also produce other regulated air pollution
- Codification of the EPA tailoring rule that establishes a 75,000 ton CO2e/year threshold for regulation
- Excluding regulation of biofuel emissions related to land-use changes, or any other agricultural activities whatsover
- A two-year suspension of stationary source greenhouse gas regulations
- Preventing any future California waiver for tailpipe greenhouse emissions
- Excluding regulation of biofuel emissions related to land-use changes, or any other agricultural activities whatsover
- Allocating $5 billion to the Advanced Energy Project tax credit
Making Green Jobs Good Jobs 4
Senate Finance Committee member Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and House Energy and Commerce Committee member Jay Inslee, D-Wash., will join Laborers’ International Union general president Terence O’Sullivan, Sierra Club political director Cathy Duvall, and clean energy business leaders and workers for a news conference on Tuesday, February 3 at 11 a.m. ET at the United States Capitol to urge Congressional leaders to take bold action to create a new Green American Dream for working people by making sure the newly created green jobs are good jobs that can sustain families and fuel economic recovery.
Speakers will release a new report analyzing the varied quality of existing green jobs (some paying as little as $8.25 an hour), and urge Congress to take bold action to ensure that the major public investments in Congress’ economic recovery and reinvestment plan create a green economy that rebuilds the middle class and renews the American Dream for America’s workers.
The report release comes a day before hundreds of labor, environmental and business advocates go to Capitol Hill — on Wednesday, February 4 — for Green Jobs Advocacy Day to educate lawmakers about the job-creating opportunities that exist in the green economy.
Participants- Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.
- Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash.
- Terence O’Sullivan, general pres., LIUNA
- Cathy Duvall, political dir., Sierra Club
- Michael Peck, dir. Human Resources, Gamesa
- Dennis Wilde, Gerding Edlen Development
- David Foster, exec. dir., Blue Green Alliance
- Perrette Hopkins, trainee, Garden State Alliance for a New Economy