Interior EPA Appropriations Bill Passes Without Murkowski Amendment

Last Thursday, the Senate approved a $32 billion dollar appropriations bill with funding primarily for the EPA and Interior Department.  Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) sought to include an amendment to the bill that would prohibit the EPA from regulating stationary sources of carbon dioxide emissions for one year, but a floor vote was blocked by unanimous consent of Senate leadership.  The amendment would have severely limit the agency’s ability to enforce the endangerment finding released by the EPA in April.  Senator John Thune (R-SD), vowed to continue to fight to restrict the EPA’s regulatory authority.  The climate community quickly pulled together to fight back this amendment issuing a letter to Congress stating strong opposition.  Through a combination of in and outside the beltway grassroots and grassroots tops pressure we were able to help keep the amendment from coming to the floor.  Read more at E&E (sub. req’d)