Murkowski Takes Issue With Obama Over Emissions Policy - News - Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (I-Alaska) today criticized President Obama’s steady support for allowing the Environmental Protection Agency to begin regulating greenhouse gas emissions in 2011.

Murkowski, a Republican-turned-Independent who will likely serve a second term after launching a write-in campaign against Joe Miller, the man who defeated her in the GOP primary, said Obama should ask the Senate to vote on a bill she helped pass out of the Committee on Energy last year aimed at giving the U.S. energy independence without placing restrictions on emissions.

“There are a great number of things we can do to responsibly reduce our carbon emissions without burdening our economy with an unworkable cap-and-trade scheme or command-and-control regulation by the EPA,” Murkowski said. “If the president wants to start with the work the Energy Committee has already done, I would be happy to work with him. But I also believe we must first preempt the EPA from meddling in the work of Congress when it comes to setting climate policies.”