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Just when you thought the U.S. Senate couldn’t do any less for clean energy and the environment than it’s (not) done so far, we now face the real possibility of what would amount to a “stop-work order” on the 40-year-old, wildly successful (e.g., studies finding benefits outweighing costs at a 40:1 ratio), Clean Air Act.

This is the second in a continuing series by the NRDC Action Fund on the environmental stances of candidates in key races around the country. Today, we examine Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional district — Bucks County, Montgomery County, and northeast Philadelphia. Currently, the 8th CD is represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by Patrick J. Murphy (D). Murphy is being challenged by Republican Mike Fitzpatrick.

As the full scope of the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico continues to unfold, there’s another energy-related drama in California. This one threatens the Golden State’s landmark law (AB 32) to limit the greenhouse gas pollution that is already harming California and to promote a host of related clean energy policies that would benefit the state. A proposition that is now certified for the November ballot, Proposition 23 — known as the “Dirty Energy Proposition” — would kill investments and job creation in the new energy economy already spurred by AB 32 since it was enacted in 2006. This is one of the most important environmental campaigns of 2010, with implications far beyond California.

This is the first in what will be a continuing series by the NRDC Action Fund on the environmental stances of candidates in key races around the country. Today, we examine Virginia’s 5th Congressional district, a district – stretching south from Charlottesville to the North Carolina border. Currently, the 5th CD is represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by Tom Perriello (D).

In Ohio’s 16th Congressional District, Rep. John Boccieri (D) is being challenged by Jim Renacci (R). Boccieri is an environmental champion who voted for the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) and who received a 93% League of Conservation Voters score in 2009. In contrast, Jim Renacci erroneously believes that comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation, far from helping our economy, national security, and environment, would instead “amount to one of the largest taxes in American history, would cause electricity prices to skyrocket and would very likely bankrupt an enormous portion of our domestic energy industry.”

In Ohio’s 13th Congressional District, Rep. Betty Sutton (D) is being challenged by Tom Ganley (R). Sutton is a true environmental champion who voted for the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) and who received a 100% League of Conservation Voters score in 2009. In contrast, Ganley says that limiting carbon pollution is one of the environmentalists’ “radical job-killing policies.” This isn’t particularly surprising coming from a right-wing, Tea Party favorite like Ganley, but it’s even less surprising when you learn where Ganley gets his money.

According to The Hill newspaper, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) “is introducing legislation to expand use of renewable electricity and transportation fuels that she says is a way to increase political support for broad energy legislation among farm-state lawmakers.” Reuters adds that Klobuchar’s legislation would promote “a long-term extension of biofuel tax breaks.” Klobuchar says, “it is time to look at home-grown energy and that includes biofuels and they should be part of this.”

On June 10th, we all celebrated the defeat of the Murkowski resolution, which would have gutted the EPA’s ability to regulate carbon dioxide pollution. Why we needed to defeat Murkowski was explained well by NRDC Action Fund Executive Director, Peter Lehner, who wrote the following prior to the vote:

Thanks to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, we now have every member of the Virginia congressional delegation on record with regard to climate change. Here’s a synopsis of their responses, with commentary regarding each of their positions on this crucial issue as it comes up for debate in the U.S. Congress.

As if we needed any more evidence demonstrating that anthropogenic climate change is real, that it is occurring right now, and that it poses a major threat to the planet’s environment, we now have it — in spades. Let;s begin with the assessment by a Penn State University investigation, which completely exonerated climate scientist Michael Mann from any wrongdoing in the ridiculous, trumped-up, never-any-truth-to-it, pseudo-”scandal” known as “climate-gate.” In reaction to this report, former House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) — full disclosure, Boehlert’s on the NRDC Action Fund board — issued a statement which read: