The Republican-controlled House is expected to pass a much more stringent bill Thursday that would permanently strip the EPA of its authority to regulate greenhouse gases. But its companion version, sponsored by Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) and James Inhofe (R-OK) and backed by most big business lobbies, failed in the Senate by a vote of 50-50, which effectively dooms the House legislation. Sixty votes were required to overcome the possibility of a filibuster.
“It’s clear the Senate rejected efforts to tie the hands of the EPA to limit life-threatening pollution,” said Franz Mantzer, climate and air legislative director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Every day that goes by, we see that the choice between jobs and healthy lungs is a false choice.”
Every day that goes by, these idiots become more ridiculous.
Mark Steyn said it best recently, “America will regulate itself to death before it pollutes itself to death”.
It’s actually NOT a mandate. At least not from the voters. Only 1/3 of the Senate seats faced election last Nov, and the Dems did poorly. Had ALL of them faced election, we’d control the Senate just like the house.
And if they didn’t have SEIU controlled voting machines (as reported by voters) swapping votes for Sharon Angle to Harry Reid (all by themselves), he wouldn’t have been elected either.
Inhoff seems to have gotten amendments into the Senate version that weakens the EPA. I watched the house proceedings so I’m not sure of details but Inhoff’s minority website had a letter thanking Democrats who helped him get 64 votes to pass his amendments.