Alaska's Climate Change Double Agent

Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) accepts the reality of global warming and man's contribution to it, and says she wants to do something about it. She points out that as one of the states most imperiled by rising global temperatures, Alaska is "ground zero for climate change." Two years ago, she sought a bill to rein in carbon emissions. But her actions now are consistently the opposite of her words. Murkowski opposes the White House's environmental initiatives, and has launched a legislative attack on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's authority to regulate carbon dioxide. She has made it clear that the price for getting her vote on any climate bill is a long list of favors for the oil and gas industries, including a demand that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge be opened to oil and gas drilling. Murkowski, who once seemed to represent a pro-environment voice among Republicans, is now among the most effective forces obstructing legislation to help the environment.