Opposition in Congress ends global warming debate
On June 6, the Senate fell short of the 60 votes necessary to move forward on the Boxer-Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act. The 48-36 voted ended consideration of the global warming bill before it was able to come to a vote. Environment America had been working over the past year to strengthen key provisions in the bill. In the end, what could have been a solid first step toward a comprehensive global warming bill failed to overcome opposition from powerful polluting industries.
The Senate Republican leadership, backed by their special interest allies and a presidential veto threat, used time-consuming procedural maneuvers to obstruct consideration of the bill, including forcing Senate clerks to read aloud every word of the 492-page bill. After the vote, Global Warming Program Director Emily Figdor told the media, “Faced with an urgent problem that demands action, the Senate didn’t deliver. Next time around, the polluters and their allies in Congress won’t get off so easy.”
Two bills could make waterways safer for summers
Americans will get more and better information about dangerous and unhealthy beach conditions if Congress approves two Environment America-backed bills this year.
The Beach Protection Act would increase water quality monitoring and public notification programs at swimming beaches and provide resources to allow the EPA to investigate the sources of beach water pollution so that it can be cleaned up permanently. The Sewage Overflow Community Right-to-Know Act would protect the health of Americans by notifying the public whenever raw sewage is spilled into waterways. In 2006, more than 25,000 beach days nationwide were lost because of unhealthy conditions caused by sewage overflows and other pollution-related problems.
Environment America is working to win congressional approval for these bills and get them signed into law before the end of the year.
