Anti-Climate Amendments Under Senate Consideration: McConnell, Rockefeller, Baucus, Stabenow

Brad Johnson — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:16:00 -0400

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

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.) has introduced amendment 215, the EPA Stationary Source Regulations Suspension Act, co-sponsored by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), and Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.). The amendment calls for:

A two-year suspension of stationary source regulations of carbon dioxide and methane

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) has introduced amendment 236, which has three elements:

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

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) has introduced amendment 265, which has four elements:

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

Brad Johnson — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 11:00:00 -0500

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

Hill Heat: Tag Stabenow

Anti-Climate Amendments Under Senate Consideration: McConnell, Rockefeller, Baucus, Stabenow

Making Green Jobs Good Jobs