Urgent: Call Sen. Harkin re: sneak attack on Clean Air Act

Call Sen. Harkin: Filibuster attacks on the Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act is non-negotiable! Make sure Democrats staunchly defend the Clean Air Act from attacks. Call Sen. Harkin now. Click here for an easy script and number to call. Dear Friend, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has agreed to allow a vote on an amendment to a small business bill being debated today that would nullify the EPA's authority to use the Clean Air Act to regulate the greenhouse gases that cause global warming.1 The Republicans, with help from coal state Democrats, may have the votes to pass this radical sneak attack on EPA. If the amendment doesn't pass, Republicans will try to pass another bill to cripple EPA that has even more support — Sen. Jay Rockefeller's bill to delay implementation of EPA climate rules for coal plants and other stationary sources of greenhouse gas pollutants. We must make sure Democrats staunchly defend the Clean Air Act, and reject any bills that contain these clean air attacks. We need 41 votes to draw a line in the sand and protect the Clean Air Act. Sen. Harkin's support is crucial. Call Sen. Harkin and ask him to filibuster any bill that blocks or delays the Clean Air Act's ability to limit climate pollution. Click here for an easy script and number to call. Today, the Senate may also join the House in passing a second temporary spending measure that keeps the government funded until April 9th. This comes after Senate Democrats failed last week to pass their initial version of a continuing resolution. Their bill preserved some cuts to EPA funding, but the worst components of the Republican bill — including language preventing the EPA and Clean Air Act from reducing carbon pollution — had thankfully been dropped.2 However, since the Senate bill couldn't muster enough support to pass, we know it's only going to get weaker going forward. And it didn't take Harry Reid long to say he was ready to cave on some Republican cuts.3 Blocking the Clean Air Act's climate authority is a top priority for the Republicans in these budget negotiations. And given that seven Senate Democrats4 are already on board with other bills to do just that or worse, we have few, if any, votes to spare to protect it. Any delay of Clean Air Act enforcement is a significant defeat in our fight against climate change. It is unclear why the Senate Majority Leader would allow a floor vote on dangerous bills to gut EPA authority to regulate the pollution that causes global warming. But it's crystal clear that this is a key moment to shore up support and make sure the Senate is drawing a line that cannot be exploited by anti-science, pro-polluter legislators, for any reason. Call Sen. Harkin and ask him to draw a line in the sand for the Clean Air Act. Click here for an easy script and number to call. Thank you for fighting for clean air. Elijah Zarlin, Campaign Manager CREDO Action from Working Assets 1. "Senate Democrats scramble to defend EPA," Politico, March 15, 2011 2. "Democrats Provide a Counteroffer to GOP Cuts on Energy and Climate," New York Times, March 7, 2011 3. "Reid: Dems ready to compromise," The Hill, March 10, 2011 4. Democratic Senators Conrad, Johnson, Manchin, McCaskill, Nelson (NE) and Webb, are all co-sponsoring Senator Jay Rockefeller's legislation to delay the Clean Air Act's climate authority for two years. Manchin is also co-sponsoring Republican Jim Inhofe's legislation to permanently block the Clean Air Act from limiting climate pollution. Share on Facebook Post to your feed wall Tweet this Post to Twitter

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