Democrats oppose Alaska senator's moves on global-warming legislation [Updated]

It wasn't much of a surprise to fellow solons that Alaska's Lisa Murkowski announced she was weighing legislative actions to bridle the Environmental Protection Agency's efforts to regulate greenhouse gases.

Murkowski has followed in the footsteps of her father, Frank Murkowski, who wielded a heavy hand on energy and environmental legislation and zealously guarded Alaska's oil interests. The younger Murkowski was appointed to her father's seat in 2002, after he won the gubernatorial race in Alaska, sparking charges of nepotism

She is the senior Republican on the powerful Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee, chaired by her father from 1995 to 2001. The elder Murkowski, who was unseated as Alaska's governor by Sarah Palin in 2006, had pushed unsuccessfully for the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration.

Democrats on the committee, led by Chairwoman Barbara Boxer, signed a letter Monday urging the Democratic majority to oppose any of Murkowski's efforts to negate the EPA's so-called endangerment finding that carbon dioxide and other planet-warming gases posed a public health risk worthy of regulation. Boxer and fellow Democrats wrote:

"Debating policy choices regarding the appropriate response to unchecked climate change is fair, and the Senate will continue to evaluate the best tools for addressing greenhouse gas emissions, but repealing an endangerment finding based upon years of work by America's scientists and public health experts is not appropriate."

Murkowski has hinted that she might introduce an amendment to an unrelated bill that would raise the federal debt limit, or launch a disapproval resolution that would negate EPA's efforts to regulate greenhouse gases under powers granted to the agency under the Clean Air Act.

Greenwire reports that Murkowski defended her actions: "I do not believe and I don't believe that most of my colleagues in the Senate believe that the EPA is the entity that is best-suited to develop climate change policy for this country," she said. The senator said she had still not decided on her strategy.

[Updated 2:38: Word on the hill is that Murkowski also will try to push a Boxer-Kerry climate bill onto the Senate floor, where it is likely to fail. The move is part of a strategy to discredit climate legislation.]

With climate-change legislation languishing in the Senate, lobbyists from the energy industry and other businesses are trying to make their voices heard at the EPA, which may issue its first regulations by March.

-- Geoff Mohan

Photo: Melting iceberg in Greenland. Credit: John McConnico / Associated Press

Comments

[Alvin]

Sorry Dr. Funkbot but there is no reason to be regularing Co2. CO - Maybe, but not clean CO2. Your Kilimanjaro comment needs to be re-researched. The loss of snow is not the result of waming, it is a loss of precipitation. Lack of snowfall to feed the glacier. 12,000 Years ago Kilimanjaro was ice-free. Stop taking your talking points from Al Gore [ManBearPig] and stop sounding silly.

PS The average temperature on top of old Kilimanjaro is still below zero.

Typical talking points:
Kilimanjaro
Polar Bears
Permafrost

Just admit you are a communist and get it over with. The first step is admitting it.

[Dr. Funkbot]

Nice piece of work, if the Senate was doing its job (actually regulating harmful CO2 emissions) the EPA would not have to step in. But no, all we get from the Senate is obstructionism. Go Barbara Boxer!

Boy this is a contentious issue! (understatement alert)

I just don't understand how people can say global warming is a hoax when glaciers are receding worldwide at record pace (just look at the pictures, the ice cap has now disappeared from Kilimanjaro), the world just experienced its warmest decade on record (there is no upcoming ice age despite what Faux News says), bears are skipping hibernation because it is so warm, animals world wide are moving their habitats in response to the changing climate, great reefs are dying due to higher water temperatures, the Alaskan permafrost is melting on an epic scale and so on and so on.

It is like there are 2 parallel Earths. One where people stick their head in the sand and deny that the very evident global warming is occurring and another where people actually try to solve the problem. I fear for the future of mankind. Lay off the oil company/Faux News Kool-Aid before it is too late!

[Rich]

Palin ain't exactly the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but Barbara Boxer (National Socialist, California) makes her look like Marilyn vos Savant.

Is Barbie just lying her soon-to-fail-of-re-election butt off, or is she really too stupid to make her way to the Ladies Room when she's got a bladderful?

None of the measures advocated (and passed in the House) by the "Liberal" dung-for-brains reflects either factual reality with regard to the causes of global climate change nor will it make any impact whatsoever on the Earth's temperature.

It'll rape Barbie's constituents in California, though. Just what the folks in the Golden State need: higher costs for electricity, gasoline, natural gas, home heating oil, and absolutely EVERYTHING they need to live, from food and clothing to the shingles on their rooftops.

Isn't it time to cut California's losses and get rid of Barbie?

--

[Art]

What a crock.
Co2 is essential for life as we know it. Not a dangerous pollutant, unless of course plants and human life no longer have any value.

Boxer has a vested interest in CO2 regulation, so she will continue to push for any legislation or regulation that benefits her agenda.

Since the validity of the reports and data that the EPA findings were based upon is now in question, any regulation the EPA passed should be overturned and considered as null and void.

[Bruce]

The EPA is going to look even worse than any of the politicians on the global warming bandwagon once the new ice age becomes common knowledge.
At least the politicians can have the excuse that they were just trying to keep their brain washed stupid constituents happy.