Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The Clean Air Act for sale?

Can you call Sen. Schumer? Tell him: "Vote no on the Murkowski amendment to block President Obama from enforcing the Clean Air Act's limits on global warming pollution."  

Senator Charles Schumer
Phone: 202-224-6542


Report your call
Dear MoveOn member,

Tomorrow, the Senate is expected to vote on a bill to block the Clean Air Act's limits on global warming pollution.

Now, it's been discovered that the sponsor of the bill, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, received nearly $250,000 in campaign contributions from the electric utility industry last year—and let one of the top utility industry lobbyists literally write the bill to roll back the Clean Air Act.1

Can you call Senator Charles Schumer? Tell him to vote no on the Murkowski amendment to block President Obama from enforcing the Clean Air Act's limits on global warming pollution. Here's where to call:

Senator Charles Schumer
Phone: 202-224-6542

Then, please report your call by clicking here:

http://pol.moveon.org/call?tg=FSNY_1&cp_id=1228&id=18633-10220574-jgDG9Ix&t=2

At stake is a crucial section of the Clean Air Act that requires limits on global warming pollution. If the Murkowski Clean Air Act rollback passes, nearly all the progress that President Obama has made on global warming would be overturned.2

Ethics watchdogs like the Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Public Citizen, and the Alaska Public Interest Research Group have raised serious questions about the appearance of corruption in the writing of Sen. Murkowski's bill.3

Sen. Murkowski is the top recipient of campaign donations from the electric utilities in the entire Congress, and former Bush administration official Jeffrey Holmstead is one of their top lobbyists.4 Two of Holmstead's biggest clients—Southern Company and Duke Energy—are among Sen. Murkowski's top contributors.5 And Federal Election Commission reports show that PACs for six other Holmstead clients and Holmstead's lobbying firm pumped money into Murkowski's campaign as well.6

"This is the sort of pay-to-play politics that makes Americans so suspicious of our elected leaders," said Melanie Sloan, Executive Director of the Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

We can stop this, but we have to fight back now. Please call Senator Charles Schumer and tell him to vote no on the Murkowski amendment to block President Obama from enforcing the Clean Air Act's limits on global warming pollution. Here's where to call:

Senator Charles Schumer
Phone: 202-224-6542

Then, please report your call by clicking here:

http://pol.moveon.org/call?tg=FSNY_1&cp_id=1228&id=18633-10220574-jgDG9Ix&t=3

Thanks for all you do.

–Steven, Eli, Laura, Kat, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Top Industries: Lisa Murkowski," OpenSecrets.org, accessed January 15, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=86012&id=18633-10220574-jgDG9Ix&t=4

"Lobbyists helped Murkowski write bill to limit EPA," Anchorage Daily News, January 11, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=86015&id=18633-10220574-jgDG9Ix&t=5

"Murkowski and her lobbyist allies," The Washington Post, January 11, 2009 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85992&id=18633-10220574-jgDG9Ix&t=6

2. "Murkowski Guns for the Clean Air Act," EarthJustice, January 13, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=86018&id=18633-10220574-jgDG9Ix&t=7

3. "Lobbyists played major role in Sen. Murkowski's proposal," Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, January 14, 2010
http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/43864

"The Price to Pollute," Public Citizen, January 14, 2010
http://citizenvox.org/2010/01/14/the-price-to-pollute/

"Murkowski and the Big Money Lobbyists," Alaska Public Interest Research Group, January 14, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=86035&id=18633-10220574-jgDG9Ix&t=8

4. "Electric Utilities: Top Recipients," OpenSecrets.org, accessed January 15, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=86016&id=18633-10220574-jgDG9Ix&t=9

"Smoke Screen," Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, December 12, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=86031&id=18633-10220574-jgDG9Ix&t=10 [PDF]

5. "Top 20 Contributors: Lisa Murkowski," OpenSecrets.org, accessed January 15, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=86032&id=18633-10220574-jgDG9Ix&t=11

6. "Contributions Received By Lisa Murkowski for US Senate," Federal Election Commission, accessed January 15, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=86034&id=18633-10220574-jgDG9Ix&t=12

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