Apr 06 2011

Graham Supports McConnell Amendment Blocking EPA Regulation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today voted in support of the McConnell Amendment to stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from issuing regulations regarding greenhouse gas emissions.  It failed by a vote of 50-50 as 60 votes were required for passage. 

In the U.S. Supreme Court's 2007 decision Massachusetts v. EPA, the Court ruled carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases should be regulated as pollutants under the Clean Air Act. 

“EPA regulation of carbon is the worst possible outcome and a disaster in the making,” said Graham.  “The EPA will put burdens on consumers and businesses they cannot handle.  It has long been clear to me that elected representatives should write the rules, not the EPA.  I believe it is a noble endeavor for our country to pursue the cleanest air and purest water in the world. But the worst way to pursue those objectives is through heavy-handed EPA regulation.” 

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