Preserve EPA’s right to regulate

The agency has that power under the federal Clean Air Act, according to a 2007 Supreme Court ruling. And while EPA mandates aren’t the best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the threat that the agency will require emission permits for every major smokestack in America has fueled support in Congress for a gentler cap-and-trade system, which would use market mechanisms to achieve the same goal. But Murkowski, who hails from oil-rich Alaska, wants to take the pressure off by weakening the EPA. Since some Democratic senators from oil and coal states may support Murkowski’s effort, the focus will be on Republicans like Brown, who has yet to declare a position.

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