Senate rejects Stabenow amendment to limit EPA climate authority

The Senate also rejected an amendment to a small-business bill by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) that would limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s climate authority.

Lawmakers rejected the amendment in a 7-93 vote.

The following senators, all Democrats, voted in favor of the amendment: Sens. Stabenow, Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Bob Casey (Penn.), Kent Conrad (N.D.), Tim Johnson (S.D.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) and Mark Pryor (Ark.). The amendment received no Republican support.

The amendment would have delayed EPA climate for rules for two years, exempted agriculture from greenhouse-gas rules and boosted a tax credit program for manufacturing green-energy equipment, among other provisions.

Stabenow’s amendment is the second EPA-related amendment to be rejected by the Senate Wednesday during consideration of small-business legislation.

Lawmakers previously rejected an amendment by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) that would have exempted agriculture from EPA climate regulations and codified EPA’s “tailoring” rule, which exempts smaller emitters from the regulations.

The Senate will vote next on an amendment by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) to delay EPA climate regulations by two years. After that, they’ll vote for a GOP-backed amendment offered by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that would permanently block EPA climate regulations.

All of the amendments are expected to fail.