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Greens launch new campaign to protect EPA climate regs
The six-figure television ad buy from the Clean Energy Works campaign — a coalition of about 80 groups — argues that some lawmakers “are getting squeezed by the special interests again, trying to delay action and give polluters free reign to keep dumping toxic pollution into the air.” The 30-second ad blames lawmakers for “letting Big Oil lobbyists get their way,” and says that “Washington politicians need to get off the dime and not let corporate polluters off the hook.”
The ad will run for about a week and will be coupled with grassroots activity, including letters signed by small business and public health groups that would be sent to congressional leaders by early next week, spokesman David Di Martino said. The coalition is also circulating a petition it hopes will garner hundreds of thousands of signatures, he said.
The effort is the latest volley in what has become the top environmental fight Congress is likely to engage in before the end of the year.
A powerful lobby of two dozen industry trade associations — including
the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Petroleum Institute, the
National Mining Association and the National Association of
Manufacturers — sent joint letters Tuesday to House and Senate
appropriators to argue that “the appropriations process can ensure
that the potentially damaging impacts of EPA’s rules are postponed for
a two or three year period pending Congressional action.”
The Senate Appropriations Committee had been expected on Thursday to markup an EPA spending bill likely to feature debate of a Republican amendment denying funds to EPA next year for regulating greenhouse gas restrictions for power plants and other large industrial sources.
That markup has since been postponed and no new date has been announced.
Democrats on the panel that would normally support efforts to delay EPA climate regulations are not expected to support an effort to do so in the spending debate, opting instead to take Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) at his word and debate a measure separately on the Senate floor.
Reid on Tuesday reiterated to reporters that he intends to fulfill his promise to Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and hold a vote during a post-election lame-duck session this year.
