by Becky Striepe

Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski recently wrote a disapproval resolution to stop the EPA from regulating greenhouse gas emissions. I sent a letter to my Senator urging him to support a new Clean Air Act that regulates greenhouse gas emissions, and you can contact yours, too, until the end of this month.

Georgia Senator Isakson wrote me back last week, and his response was incredibly frustrating! I’m sharing it here, in full, because I think it’s really important that we know where our elected decision-makers stand:

Dear Mrs. Striepe:

Thank you for contacting me regarding Senator Murkowski’s disapproval resolution to stop the Environmental Protection Agency from regulation greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. I appreciate hearing from you and appreciate the opportunity to respond.

I recently joined 39 of my colleagues in co-sponsoring this bi-partisan disapproval resolution. This backdoor attempt to regulate greenhouse gasses would have dramatic negative effects on our manufacturing sector while also causing significant increases in the cost of power generation. While we should take proactive steps to reduce our emissions footprint, it is absolutely essential to address the economic impact of these measures on our economy.

On December 7, 2009, the EPA announced its finding that greenhouse gases threaten public health. The endangerment finding took effect on January 14, 2010, and clears the way for the EPA to present its first greenhouse gas rules by March 2010. I believe it is the responsibility of Congress to address the issue of climate change.

Upon introduction, a disapproval resolution is referred to the committee of jurisdiction, which in this case will be the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. If the committee does not favorably support the resolution within 20 calendar days, it may be discharged upon petition by 30 senators. Once a disapproval resolution is placed on the Senate calendar, it is then subject to expedited consideration on the Senate floor and is not subject to filibuster.

Thank you again for contacting me. Please visit my webpage at http://isakson.senate.gov/ for more information on the issues important to you and to sign up for my e-newsletter.

Sincerely,
Johnny Isakson
United States Senator

Backdoor attempt? As if this hasn’t been all over the news? Language like that makes me furious, because it really makes it sound like this is some sort of lefty conspiracy. How exactly would he like to address climate change without addressing greenhouse gases?

I have a hard time believing that regulating greenhouse gases would have more of a negative effect than these harmful emissions themselves. Even if we take global warming out of the equation, these emissions damage the health of human beings, especially those living near facilities such as coal burning power plants. I’m appalled that Senator Isakson would put special interests like the coal lobby above the good of his constituency.

Wondering who the 39 senators are who’ve signed onto the disapproval? We’ve compiled a list for you! It’s alphabetized by state:

1. Senator Richard Shelby, Alabama
2. Senator Jeff Sessions, Alabama
3. Senator Lisa Murkowski, Alaska
4. Senator John McCain, Arizona
5. Senator Jon Kyl, Arizona
6. Senator Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas
7. Senator George LeMieux, Florida
8. Senator Saxby Chambliss, Georgia
9. Senator Johnny Isakson, Georgia
10. Senator Mike Crapo, Idaho
11. Senator James E. Risch, Idaho
12. Sentaor Richard G. Lugar, Indiana
13. Senator Chuck Grassley, Iowa
14. Senator Sam Brownback, Kansas
15. Senator Pat Roberts, Kansas
16. Senator Mitch McConnell, Kentucky
17. Senator Jim Bunning, Kentucky
18. Senator Mary Landrieu, Louisiana
19. Senator David Vitter , Louisiana
20. Senator Roger Wicker, Mississippi
21. Senator Thad Cochran, Mississippi
22. Senator Kit Bond, Missouri
23. Senator Ben Nelson, Nebraska
24. Senator Mike Johanns, Nebraska
25. Senator Judd Gregg, New Hampshire
26. Senator Richard Burr, North Carolina
27. Senator George Voinovich, Ohio
28. Senator Tom Coburn, Oklahoma
29. Senator James Inhofe, Oklahoma
30. Senator Lindsey Graham, South Carolina
31. Senator John Thune, South Dakota
32. Senator Bob Corker, Tennessee
33. Senator Lamar Alexander, Tennessee
34. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison , Texas
35. Senator John Cornyn, Texas
36. Senator Bob Bennett, Utah
37. Senator Orrin Hatch, Utah
38. Senator Mike Enzi, Wyoming
39. Senator John Barrasso, Wyoming

Have you guys written your Senators to let them know how you feel? If you heard back, we’d love to know what they said! If you haven’t had a chance to, Earth Justice makes i incredibly easy to get heard. You can send a letter through their site, and they get it to the right person for you!

Image Credit: Remixed Creative Commons photo by savannahgrandfather

Related posts:

1. Senate Committee Passes Climate and Energy Bill
2. Greenhouse Gases Continue to Rise Despite Economic Slump
3. Kerry Confident Senate Will Vote on Climate Bill Before Copenhagen

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