Inhofe Fails to Pass Resolution Blocking EPA MACT Standards

In the much anticipated vote on Senator James Inhofe’s (R-OK) efforts to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s emissions regulations, the Senate voted 46-53 against the resolution early Wednesday afternoon. The vote comes in the midst of a long Republican crusade against the EPA, which isn’t likely to end despite this result. While the resolution was not likely to pass, senators on both sides of the aisle switched teams to vote with the opposite party on the issue, with the Republicans stressing the loss of jobs and increasing energy costs and democrats touting the public health benefits and denying the exaggerated economic claims made by their opponents. The five Republican Senators who joined the Democrats were Senator Olympia Snow (ME), Kelly Ayotte (NH), Susan Collins (ME), Scott Brown (MA), and Lamar Alexander (TN). The Democrat Senators who supported Inhofe and made it an even five-for-five trade were Mary Landrieu (LA), Joe Manchin (WV), Ben Nelson (NE), Mark Warner (VA), and Jim Webb (VA).