Lawyers' Committee Commends Senate Rejection of Effort to Remove EPA Authority to Enforce Clean Air Act
The Lawyers' Committee is pleased that the Senate voted down Sen. Lisa Murkowski's (R-Alaska) resolution to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from being able to regulate carbon emissions. The final vote was 53-47, with six Democrats joining all 41 Republicans in voting for the resolution. This "Dirty Air Act" would have limited the ability of the EPA to do its job in enforcing the Clean Air Act to improve our public health standards. Especially concerning to the Lawyers' Committee, it had the potential to disproportionately affect minority and low-income communities situated in areas of poor air quality. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska introduced S.J. Res. 26, a joint resolution disapproving of the EPA's recently issued rule allowing for the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. As the devastating effects of climate change fall disproportionately on low-income communities and communities of color, Senator Murkowski's resolution would have done a disservice to the causes of environmental and racial justice. Additionally, continued reliance on dirty energy serves to short-circuit the growth of green jobs in these very same communities, which tend to suffer from the highest rates of unemployment and economic distress. In lieu of congressional action on climate change legislation, now moving slowly through the Senate, the EPA's exercise of its existing statutory authority is critical to the protection of the environment and health in underserved communities, the creation of desperately needed jobs, and the mitigation of long-term effects of climate change. On April 12, Tanya Clay House, Director of Public Policy for the Lawyers' Committee, sent a letter to Senator Barbara Boxer, Chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Senator James Inhofe, Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, urging them to oppose S.J. Res. 26. Her letter highlighted the lopsided impact of climate change on low-income and minority communities and the need for new "green-collar" jobs to fight global warming and ensure that the United States remains a leader in environmental entrepreneurship.
