Senate Republicans block global warming bill

On June 6, the Senate voted 48-36 to move forward on the Boxer-Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act, falling short of the necessary 60-vote threshold and ending consideration of the global warming bill before it was able to come to a vote. Environment Texas 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, Environment Texas Federal Global Warming Program Director Emily Figdor told the media, “Faced with an urgent problem that demands action, the Senate passed the buck. Next time around, the polluters and their allies in Congress won’t get off so easy.”

Two bills could make waterways safer for summers

Texans will get more and better information about beach closings and sewage spills if Congress approves two Environment Texas-backed bills this year.

The Beach Protection Act would increase water quality monitoring 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 and clean up our waterways by notifying the public whenever sewage is spilled. In 2006, more than 25,000 beach days nationwide were lost because of health advisories caused by sewage overflows and other pollution-related problems. Environment Texas is working to win congressional approval for these bills and get them signed into law before the end of the year.