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Congressional Watch, June 2009 Edition

COMING UP

CONGRESSIONAL ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND EFFORTS TO RESTRICT EPA AUTHORITY OVER GREENHOUSE GASES – CRUCIAL VOTES COMING UP!

Murkowski’s ‘Dirty Air’ resolution scheduled for debate

Senator Murkowski’s resolution to prevent EPA from regulating greenhouse gases is scheduled for a Senate vote on June 10.  While the resolution would also need approval by the House as well as the signature of President Obama – who is against the measure – passage in the Senate could submerge efforts to pass clean energy and climate legislation this year.  The resolution needs a simple majority to pass. 

Both Senators Baucus and Tester have indicated they do not support Sen. Murkowski’s resolution despite pressure from some electrical co-ops and the Farm Bureau to support it.  These groups claim they would rather have Congress regulate greenhouse gases but have failed to support any meaningful Congressional regulation of such pollutants.  Their position threatens to cost their members much more in the future.  For more information on efforts to restrict EPA’s authority, see MCVEF’s April 2010 Congressional Watch.

  • Politico: EPA battle heats up in Senate (May 26, 2010)

    “A bipartisan group of senators will move after the Memorial Day recess on a resolution to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation of greenhouse gases. It is uncertain whether the group will have the votes by the time the resolution comes to the Senate floor June 10, but it has stirred concern among environmentalists and the EPA. The disapproval resolution, introduced by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), has 41 co-sponsors…” More
     
  • LCV: Multi-State Ad Campaign Urges Senators to Vote No on Big Oil Bailout (may 17, 2010)

    WASHINGTON – Today, the League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club and Missouri Votes Conservation launched a paid media campaign to call on Senators to vote against Senator Murkowski’s Big Oil Bailout – a resolution to undermine the Clean Air Act that would put public health at risk and jeopardize long-overdue action to hold the biggest polluters accountable for their carbon pollution. More…

  • Letter from Flathead Electric Cooperative members urging FEC trustees to oppose the efforts of Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and others to block regulation of greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act (March 26, 2010): (‘FEC MEMBERS URGE OPPOSITION TO CAA WEAKENING’)

  • NationalJournal.com: Baucus Faces Pressure On Cantwell-Collins (May 14, 2010)

    “Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., is facing pressure from interest groups to take up the climate and energy bill sponsored by Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Susan Collins, R-Maine. That's despite the Senate's current focus on the bill unveiled Wednesday by Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Joe Lieberman, I/D-Conn…”  More

 

Final chance to pass comprehensive energy and climate legislation this year

The U.S. House passed climate legislation last year.  There are several pieces of legislation being discussed in the Senate.  Senate Democrats are expected to decide during early June whether and how to proceed on energy legislation this year.  Sen. Baucus, as Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, will be a key figure in this decision.

 

TAKE ACTION

Montana and the country need a new clean energy future that reduces our reliance on carbon-based fuels, steadily decreases the carbon spewed into our atmosphere, and moves toward energy sources that are renewable and where greater energy efficiency and conservation become standard operating procedures for our homes, businesses, governments, schools and vehicles. 

The longer Congress waits to pass climate legislation, the more difficult it will be to decrease the current build-up of carbon and future carbon emissions.  The job will become more abrupt, more painful, and more expensive.

As one of the largest environmental disasters unfolds in the Gulf, we have to question why we are continuing to rely so heavily on carbon-polluting fossil fuels – whether it is oil from hostile foreign nations or along America’s coasts or coal from Eastern Montana.

When you see Sens. Baucus and Tester, or their staffs, during the Memorial week recess (May 29-June 6), please thank them for their continued opposition to Sen. Murkowski’s resolution, and urge them to help lead the effort to pass clean energy and climate legislation this year.

Calls and emails to Sen. Max Baucus and Sen. Jon Tester, as well as letters to the editor, are crucial.  Urge Sens. Baucus and Tester to help lead America to a new clean energy future.  Ask them to work for comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation to be passed this year.

We must take advantage of this June Senate schedule  to call for clean energy and climate legislation this year.  President Obama and Congress need to provide the leadership to pass a  solution.  We may not have another chance for many years to come.

PUBLIC MEETING OPPORTUNITY WITH SENATORS BAUCUS AND TESTER KULR 8 TV: Senators, administration host conservation meeting (May 27, 2010)

“Top Obama administration officials will be hosting a public meeting next week with U.S. Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester as part of the White House's "Great Outdoors Initiative."” More

OTHER VOTES AND CONGRESSIONAL ACTIONS

Tester: Tester introduces bipartisan bills to create jobs, boost businesses by maximizing renewable energy (May 27, 2010) 

“Senator Jon Tester is leading an effort to expand renewable energy infrastructure in rural communities in Montana and across rural America by lowering transmission and financing costs to co-ops and municipalities…” More

Tester: Tester leads effort to cut red tape, create jobs, boost energy savings for schools (May 17, 2010)

“…Tester is backing the bipartisan Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act, which would strengthen cooperation across the U.S. Department of Energy to help retrofit schools for energy efficiency…”  More

Tester: Tester pushes BLM to ramp up renewable energy in Montana  (May 12, 2010)

“Senator Jon Tester is pushing the Bureau of Land Management to fully staff its new Renewable Energy Coordinating Team in Montana to “make commercial scale wind, solar, geothermal and other renewable energy production a reality.” The BLM team, which is supposed to consist of five members, is part of an effort to streamline the process for renewable energy developers to get federal permits needed for renewable energy projects and transmission lines. But the BLM has so far only hired two members of its Renewable Energy Coordinating Team in Montana…”  More

Baucus and Tester:  Hungry Horse News: More oil, gas leases relinquished (May 5, 2010)

“Energy giant ConocoPhillips announced last week it would voluntarily relinquish oil and gas leases the company holds in the North Fork of the Flathead River drainage…. ConocoPhillips relinquished the leases Baucus said, at the request of his office and the Sen. Jon Tester's office…”  More

Rehberg: Rehberg Opposes Move to Restrict Public Lands through "De facto" Wilderness Management (April 27, 2010)

“Montana's Congressman, Denny Rehberg, is opposing a move to have wilderness study areas managed as de facto wilderness through bypassing current law that gives authority to designate wilderness areas to Congress….  More

Weathervane reports that Rep. Rehberg has joined SD Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin in offering legislation that would “block federal agencies (including but not limited to the EPA) from regulating based on climate change effects – or from requiring reporting of emissions.”  May 17, 2010

ACTIONS AND OPINIONS

  • LCV: Groups Urge President Obama to Adopt Principles on Gulf Oil Spill, Clean Energy Economy (May 26, 2010):
    More than 20 national and Gulf Coast organizations released an open letter to President Obama urging him to adopt five specific principles as the administration continues efforts to combat the enormous short term, intermediate and long term challenges before us.  The principles address the oil gushing into the Gulf, the perils of offshore oil drilling, restoration, government and industry accountability, and the need to move to a clean energy economy.

  • Letter from Montana farmers and ranchers to Montana’s Congressional delegation (May 15, 2010)
    “…We are asking you to do your part by passing an aggressive cap on greenhouse gas emissions, which will aid our transition to an energy efficient economy, powered in part, by Montana’s abundant renewable energy resources…” 

  • Letter from over 100 Flathead Electric Cooperative members to FEC Trustees protesting the position of FEC leadership opposing clean energy legislation (May 15, 2010)
    “…As cooperative members, we are disappointed in the role our cooperative has taken in opposing comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation that would put a cap on carbon. Recent economic analysis shows that forward‐looking, comprehensive energy and climate policy and long‐term price signals will create up to 13,000 jobs in Montana in the new energy economy by 2020…We urge the board of directors to evaluate the effect of comprehensive clean energy legislation compared to the cost of inaction on the cooperative, to consider the ramifications of unmitigated climate change to FEC’s region and Montana, and take a stand in support of legislation that puts a strong cap on carbon…”

  • Flathead Beacon: In D.C., Flathead Residents Press Senators on Climate Change Bill (May 23, 2010):
    A group of Flathead residents were in Washington D.C. last week to press members of Montana’s federal delegation to take action on legislation to stem global-warming.     More…
     
  • Politics Daily: Climate Scientists Urge Aggressive Action to Curb Global Warming (May 2010)
    “In what's being called "the most comprehensive report ever on climate change," the National Academy of Sciences urged aggressive action to curb global warming, including a cap-and-trade program and taxes on carbon emissions...”  More

  • NewWest Missoula: Onshore Drilling Has Environmental Risks, Too (May 18, 2010)
    “The Gulf of Mexico oil spill has led Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to announce there will be reforms on how leases are granted for offshore drilling. Meanwhile, 60 former land managers have sent him a letter about onshore drilling, asking him to finalize reforms he announced in January Gloria Flora formerly supervised the Lewis and Clark National Forest in Montana, where she made a decision to halt oil and gas leasing due to environmental concerns. She signed on to the letter because she claims accidents happen almost everywhere there is production…”  More