Senate to Vote on Murkowski Resolution Thursday
Grassley says even if resolution doesn't pass, vote of opposition important.
Compiled by staff
Published: Jun 10, 2010
The Senate is now slated to vote Thursday on the resolution of disapproval introduced by Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, earlier this year. It's an effort to stop the EPA from regulating carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.
Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is a co-sponsor of the resolution and says there are two reasons EPA taking action before Congress is bad news.
"First the job of a federal agency is to carry out laws passed by Congress because Congress is directly responsible to the American public and agencies aren’t," Grassley said. "When agencies like EPA bend existing laws in order to bypass a public, deliberative process it's up to Congress to rein it in. Second, EPA regulations on greenhouse gasses under the Clean Air Act would be less efficient and even more costly than a system designed to address greenhouse gases."
Grassley admits the Senate might not have the votes needed for passage. What's more the resolution would face even stiffer opposition in the House and a likely Presidential veto that would take a two-thirds vote in each chamber to override. As a result, even if the Senate does get the votes for passage, Grassley says the EPA will likely move ahead.
"If they are determined to Europeanize our economy this is one way of doing it," Grassley said. But it does send a message of opposition to what EPA is doing even if it comes out with just 45 votes - pretty significant in the Senate where 60 is a magic number."
Grassley says that would also signal there aren't the 60 votes needed to move ahead with cap and trade.
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