Congressman Fred Upton (R-MI), top Republican of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality and co-chair of the American Energy Solutions Group, made the following statement is response to today’s Senate vote on S.J.Res.26, a joint resolution introduced by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) that sought to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) authority to regulate emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.  The measure was defeated by a vote of 47-53. Upton is a co-sponsor of similar legislation in the House, H.J.Res. 77, that also seeks to preempt the EPA’s power grab.

“With national unemployment already hovering just below double-digits, the last thing we can afford is to hand over the keys of the U.S. economy to the EPA.  If we leave the task of reducing emissions to the EPA, the consequences will be grave — gasoline prices will skyrocket, electricity costs will spike, production will be extinguished, jobs will rush overseas, and the environment will not be any better off.

“Allowing the EPA to enforce either a cap-and-tax scheme or a carbon tax proposal – knowing full well that India and China will never participate – will send even more American jobs overseas at a time when job creation should be our primary focus.  Where are our priorities?

“The fight continues as we seek to stand up for working families already struggling to keep the lights on.”