What the Last Two Weeks Tell Us About the Climate Bill

The author expresses concern that the Obama administration may sacrifice the EPA's regulatory authority over greenhouse gas emissions to ensure the passage of a Senate climate bill. The text highlights political opposition from figures like Senator Lisa Murkowski and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, while noting the efforts of Senators Kerry, Lieberman, and Graham to draft a bill. It emphasizes that a multi-tool approach—combining legislative action with EPA regulation—is essential to meet climate goals and maintain economic competitiveness.

• There is concern that the Obama administration might sacrifice the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act to secure the passage of a Senate climate bill.
• The author asserts that the United States requires multiple strategies to combat climate change, arguing that EPA regulation serves as a necessary backup in case the Senate fails to act.
• Specific political opposition is identified, including Senator Lisa Murkowski's efforts to prevent the EPA from exercising authority granted by the 2007 Massachusetts v. EPA Supreme Court decision, and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's lawsuit challenging clean car standards.
• A group of seven state attorney generals sent a letter on April 5 urging Senate bill architects to maintain the EPA's authority on greenhouse gases and support state-level climate initiatives.

APA

Earthjustice (2010). What the Last Two Weeks Tell Us About the Climate Bill. https://earthjustice.org/article/what-last-two-weeks-tell-us-about-climate-bill

Chicago

Earthjustice. What the Last Two Weeks Tell Us About the Climate Bill. 2010. https://earthjustice.org/article/what-last-two-weeks-tell-us-about-climate-bill.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Earthjustice |title=What the Last Two Weeks Tell Us About the Climate Bill |date=8 April 2010 |url=https://earthjustice.org/article/what-last-two-weeks-tell-us-about-climate-bill |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{earthjustice2010what, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{What the Last Two Weeks Tell Us About the Climate Bill}}, publisher = {Earthjustice}, year = {2010}, month = apr, url = {https://earthjustice.org/article/what-last-two-weeks-tell-us-about-climate-bill}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }