Today's a big day for those who love Big Oil and Big Coal's money, and for those who want the Environmental Protection Agency to do its job. The authority of the EPA is under attack by polluting industries and their friends in Congress:

Today Senator James Inhofe (R-Big Oil) and Congressman Fred Upton (R-Big Oil) "will formally introduce their bill to strip the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of its authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act."

And what else about this bill would make it awful?

The bill permanently bars EPA from regulating carbon, with a temporary exemption for vehicle tailpipe emissions rules through model year 2016. After that year, EPA would no longer be involved in crafting future fuel economy standards and states could not secure waivers to draft their own.

So much for California's bold steps for tougher clean car standards. It's like Inhofe and Upton don't want any pollution protections at all! And Inhofe then went on to spout some false information:

He added that if Democrats oppose the measure, "It's like saying, 'I'm supporting the largest tax increase in [the] history of America.' That's what [EPA greenhouse gas limits] would constitute."

Meanwhile, the Clean Water Act is facing just as many attacks. This is getting ridiculous. We need congressional leaders to recognize that the nation's physical and economic well-being depends on a strong EPA that can fully enforce protections for our families and our future.

Congress should get out of the way and let the EPA do its job of protecting public health and enforcing pollution safeguards.

(In other Congressional news, will there be an investigation into the supposed plans for a disinformation campaign against foes of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce?)