Photo by AP

For the second time in 3 months, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is trying to block solutions to global warming. In September, she attempted to tack an amendment onto an appropriations bill that would have kept the Environmental Protection Agency from spending any money on reducing global warming pollution from major emissions sources, like coal-fired power plants. She failed.

But she's at it again. This go around, she's attempting to retroactively veto the EPA's recent Clean Air Act endangerment finding, which states that greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide are a threat to human health and welfare. The endangerment finding is the result of a Supreme Court ruling that found EPA has the authority and a legal obligation to use the Clean Air Act to regulate global warming pollution.

Is Murkowski suggesting that EPA ignore the High Court's ruling?

Sarah Saylor, senior legislative representative at Earthjustice had this to say:

EPA's endangerment finding simply states that global warming is a threat to human health and welfare. This finding was based on the best available science. But Sen. Murkowski seems to insist that the Senate ignore the science.

The Senate is currently in the process of giving EPA new tools under the Clean Air Act to combat global warming. But Sen. Murkowski seems to insist that her colleagues should want to do just the opposite and actually take tools away. It makes absolutely no sense to tie the hands of the EPA and take away the best tools available while the Senate works out what else is needed to combat global warming.

Delay and obfuscation have held back the fight against global warming. It seems that Sen. Murkowski's insistence is causing more delays and less action.