Sen. Webb Needs To Hear From You Today

UPDATE 6/10: Just heard from Sen. Webb's office that he'll be voting against Murkowski's amendment! Major thanks to everyone who called Sen. Webb.

Apologies for the infrequent blogging lately, but I'm working long days for the National Wildlife Federation covering the BP oil disaster. I'll be heading back down to the Gulf in a few days & will post updates as I can.

A quick request today -- please take one minute (that's all it takes) right now to call Sen. Jim Webb at 202-224-4024. Ask him to vote NO on the amendment from Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-BigOilAlaska) to weaken the Clean Air Act. 

If you're not from Virginia, just call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for your senator. Learn more about why Sen. Murkowski's amendment would be so disastrous at NoDirtyAirAct.com.

How Do Politicians Find Polluter Love?

Are you a politician who's eager to sell out to polluters, but haven't been able to find the right match? This Valentine's Day, there's a new website to help -- PolluterHarmony.com.

Just listen to this testimonial from legendary polluter & front group funder Charles Koch:

When the PolluterHarmony compatibility test matched me up with a Democratic senator from Arkansas, I was sure the site was a scam. How could a Libertarian like me possibly relate to a Democrat? But then I read Blanche's profile, I realized maybe I was wrong. She wrote that she loves discovering new places, especially for oil drilling. More importantly, she considers herself someone who likes taking risks, like with public health and safety. Best of all, she had one of the worst environmental voting records of any Democrat on Capitol Hill.

When we first met, I knew I'd found my match. Within a few weeks, I was funneling thousands of dollars into her campaign fund while she quietly worked to stall climate and clean energy policy.

And check out this story from a polluter lobbyist matched up with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK):

"It's like we finish each other's legislation." Hilarious! Great Valentine's Day parody from Greenpeace.

Will Webb Join Effort to Gut Clean Air Act?

Could Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) join the efforts of polluter lobbyists & Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) to gut the Clean Air Act's protections against carbon pollution? It's possible, according to Mother Jones' Kate Sheppard:

Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski has gained co-sponsorship for her effort to block the EPA from regulating carbon dioxide from at least one Democrat, her office confirmed Friday evening.

Spokesman Robert Dillon said that one Democrat has signed on, though he was not able to confirm the identity of the Democrat. There are, however, plenty of ideas about who this Democratic cosponsor may be. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Jim Webb (D-Va.), Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), and Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), all previously on record voicing concerns about carbon regulation, have all been floated as possible sign-ons. We've put in inquiries at all those offices and will update as more information becomes available.

Webb has already declared his discomfort with comprehensive clean energy & climate legislation. But would he really go one step further and gut the Clean Air Act's Congressionally-approved, Supreme Court-validated protections? Such a move would be a free license to massive emitters to pollute as much as they want.

While we've had an unusually cold winter so far in the U.S., other parts of the world have been unusually warm. Temperatures have been a startling 10-15 degrees above normal in the Artic.

Webb wrote in "What It Means To Be A Leader" that "you and your grandchildren will be the inheritors of both our successes and flaws." Unless Sen. Webb wakes up soon, future generations could be paying for his apparent indifference to our climate crisis.