The Senate is now slated to vote Thursday on the resolution of disapproval introduced by Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski earlier this year. It’s an effort to stop the EPA from regulating carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.
Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley is a co-sponsor of the resolution - and says there are two reasons EPA taking action before Congress is bad news...
“First the job of a federal agency is to carry out laws passed by Congress because Congress is directly responsible to the American people, an agency isn’t. When agencies like EPA bend existing laws in order to by-pass a public deliberative process it’s up to Congress to rein it in. Second, EPA’s regulations on greenhouse gasses under the Clean Air Act would be less efficient, and even more costly than a system designed to address greenhouse gasses.”
Grassley says any cap on carbon will have a costly impact across the economy - but will hit farmers and rural communities particularly hard...
“That impact would be far worse under EPA’s rules, which could result in farms being labeled as emitters just like coal-fired power plants.”
Grassley admits the Senate might not have the votes needed for passage. What’s more - the resolution would face even stiffer opposition in the House and a likely Presidential veto that would take a two-thirds vote in each chamber to override. As a result - even if the Senate does get the votes for passage - Grassley says the EPA will likely move ahead...
“If they’re determined to Europeanize our economy this is one way of doing it. But, it does send a message of opposition to what EPA’s doing, even if it does come out to just 45 votes. Pretty significant where 60 is the magic number.”
Grassley says that would also signal there aren’t the 60 votes needed to move ahead with cap and trade.
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