Clean air threatened by backroom deal

We just finished up 2009 with the hopeful conclusion of the 15th Climate Change Conference of the United Nations in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is now 2010 and it is time for us to move forward with comprehensive clean energy and climate change mitigation legislation.

The Clean Air Act is a great step in this direction; however, an amendment written by U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and dirty energy company lobbyists is threatening to stop this move forward. This amendment is a backroom deal aimed at maintaining business-as-usual and supporting major polluters.

This amendment threatens our health, the health of our environment, and the existence of future generations. It is crucial that the Senate does away with this amendment and spend more time talking about how to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and build up our domestic sources of clean energy. Let us stop Murkowski's amendment and support the Clean Air Act.

William Nichols

Naperville