There isn’t much that congressional fans of the planet can do to stop the bill that would forever bar the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. The best they can hope for, at least in the House, appears to be renaming the bill. A few options for renaming the “Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011” that Democrats submitted to the Rules Committee as amendments:
- “Koch Brothers Appreciation Act”
- “Middle Eastern Economic Development and Assistance Act”
- “Protecting Americans from Polar Bears Act”
- “Oil Producing Economy Capitulation Act”
- “Head in the Sand Act”
- “Dirty Air Act of 2011”
- “Termination of EPA Greenhouse Gas Regulation in Order To Eliminate the Clean Air Act”
Other amendments that Democrats have offered would seek to formally recognize that climate change is a problem that presents environmental, health, and national security risks.
The House and Senate are both likely to vote this week on bills to block the EPA’s greenhouse gas rules, and, as the Hill reports, the EPA riders are still dogging the budget fight. Even if the efforts to gut EPA authority do pass, the White House affirmed on Tuesday in a formal “Statement of Administration Policy” that President Obama would veto such a measure.
Have your own suggestions for what to re-name the EPA-gutting bill? Weigh in below.
