On Thursday, June 10, the U.S. Senate will vote on a resolution by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) to reverse the Environmental Protection Agency’s finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health and will be regulated under the Clean Air Act. This proposal would also nullify the fuel efficiency standards for all cars and trucks finalized this spring that would reduce our nation’s dependence on oil and promote major pollution cuts. Today, Sen. Murkowski and several Republican allies are holding a press conference to solicit support for this measure before the vote.

The following statement is from Earthjustice senior legislative representative Sarah Saylor:

“This resolution by Senator Murkowski shows that she will go to great lengths to protect big-money polluters. This is the same senator who has gone to bat for BP, blocking a law that would hold oil companies accountable for the full costs of their spills. Now she and her allies want to give all of the fossil fuel special interests in this country a break by gutting our Clean Air Act.

“Sen. Murkowski’s resolution puts special interests above the public interest by protecting these violators and irresponsible corporations, which want nothing more than to see America remain hooked on their dirty fossil fuels. Sen. Murkowski and her allies are putting not only the health of the American people at risk, but also our economic future by delaying a move to clean-energy alternatives.

“This vote on Thursday is two things. First, it is a red herring, a distraction from the real task at hand before the Senate: to find a way forward toward a sustainable and prosperous clean-energy future. Second, it is a test. Which senators are on the side of big, influential, dirty fossil fuel industries at this moment of man-made crisis in American history? And which are on the side of the American people and working to guarantee us a clean and healthy future? We will know the answer on Thursday.”