Sen. Mark Kirk Casts Deciding Vote to Allow Unlimited Carbon Pollution

(Washington, D.C. — June 19, 2015) – Illinois Senator Mark Kirk yesterday cast the deciding vote to gut the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, which would place the nation’s first-ever limits on carbon pollution from existing power plants. The vote, in the Senate Appropriations Committee, came on an amendment to the funding bill for the Interior Department and EPA.

“Senator Kirk made very clear that he stands for unlimited carbon pollution,” said Elizabeth Thompson, President of EDFAction. “The Clean Power Plan will clean the air, reduce climate pollution, reduce asthma attacks, and help us move to renewable energy. When he was elected to the Senate, Mark Kirk presented himself to voters as a moderate, but for the last five years he’s mostly stood with polluters – and yesterday’s vote for unlimited carbon pollution was an exclamation point on that record. We hope the full Senate will stand up for clean air, clean water, and a healthy climate by passing a bill that’s free of anti-environmental riders.”