Murkowski EPA Amendment Expected Tomorrow

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We’ll find out tomorrow precisely which strategy Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) plans to employ in her mission to bar the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases. Her press office just announced that the senator will give a floor speech tomorrow in which she’ll indicate whether she plans to tack an amendment blocking EPA regulations onto debt-ceiling legislation, or whether she’ll offer a separate “resolution of disapproval” barring any EPA restrictions on carbon emissions.

Murkowski’s move comes as Democratic leaders are growing increasingly worried about advancing their legislative priorities in the aftermath of Republican Scott Brown’s win in Massachusetts on Tuesday. What was already expected to be a very tough vote on climate legislation just got a lot tougher. In fact, EPA regulation of carbon dioxide is starting to look like the last—and possibly only—hope for curbing emissions anytime soon. Murkowski’s office argues, however, that she’s not trying to prevent emissions cuts, but that she simply wants to keep the policy debate in Congress rather than letting the executive branch write the rules. And she’s getting support from at least one Democrat—Virginia’s Jim Webb.

“There’s been a lot of criticism of Sen. Murkowski’s motives,” says Robert Dillon, the senator’s spokesman. “The fact is all she’s asking for is an up or down vote on whether the EPA should be allowed to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.” 

UPDATE: Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said on Wednesday that she is has been working with Murkowski on her efforts to block EPA regulation, and may formally support her measure. “I am considering that right now,” Landrieu told reporters. Landrieu, a big supporter of the oil and gas industries, has been a vocal opponent of legislation to cap emsissions. Virginia Democrat Jim Webb has also expressed support for Murkowski’s efforts.

UPDATE: Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) said he may also support Murkowski’s efforts, reports Energy & Environment News.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

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