well, they decided that they would rather an unelected board, regulate greenhouse gas, the straw breaking the camels being their decision to make CO2 a regulated gas.
The vote was 47/53.




snip-

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who offered the resolution to neuter the EPA, said that capping carbon emissions would create a new energy tax and kill jobs. Boxer pointed to the jobs lost in the Gulf of Mexico. Everyone says their side is the one that will help the job market.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill, accused Republicans of choosing “political science over the real science.”

And Durbin said Republicans would be siding with big oil companies if they took power from the EPA.

“Are we going to criticize them in the morning with speeches and then reward them in the afternoon by defeating this legislation?” asked Durbin…

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, said Democrats want to abdicate Congressional authority to regulate to the EPA, which, except through the President, is unaccountable to voters.

“Who elected the Environmental Protection Agency?” Barrasso asked.

Oil Spill Invades EPA Debate - The Note