Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) continues efforts initiated last fall to curtail the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) authority to regulate GHGs, citing concerns over the high cost and negative job impacts of “command-and-control” regulation.

In December, Murkowski announced plans to introduce a resolution under Congress to overturn the EPA’s December finding that emissions from cars and light trucks contribute to the endangerment of public health and welfare resulting from GHG emissions.  This finding would allow the EPA to regulate emission reduction measures for the transportation sector.  Murkowski is also considering adding an amendment to legislation being tabled in the Senate later this month that would suspend the EPA’s authority to regulate GHG emissions from stationary sources under the Clean Air Act for one year.

The threat of EPA regulation is seen by many as a tool of the White House administration to increase pressure on Congress to pass a climate and energy bill.  The Waxman Markey bill passed by the House, and bills currently under consideration in the Senate, employ a mix of regulatory and market-based measures to reduce emissions, widely felt to have lesser economic impacts than direct regulation.

By Eva Berton, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)