Senate Talks Climate Change

On June 9 at 6pm, six Democratic Senators and one Republican, Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), held a discussion on climate change in the Senate chamber. The evening talk was planned in response to several Republicans’ dismay at not having received an invitation to the all-night climate change talkathon, held by 31 Senators in March (see EESI's article). In response, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Ed Markey (D-MA) sent a letter inviting all 45 of their Republican colleagues to discuss climate change solutions, stating “we think our Republican colleagues could have a lot to offer if they wish to join us in exploring solutions.”

The Senators responsible for planning the event are all members of a recently formed Senate Climate Action Task Force, which has been putting on events to “wake up” Congress to the dangers of climate change. Also in attendance at the event was Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), a member of the Task Force.

During his speech, Sen. Whitehouse said, "It’s sad to see a once-proud political party ignore scientific facts and shrink from serious challenges, and I truly hope that some of my Republican friends will re-engage on this issue before it is too late.” Sen. Inhofe was present and participated in the discussion, in order to voice his skeptical views on human-caused climate change, leading Sen. Whitehouse to note, “All we heard from the other side of the aisle this evening was outright denial, and then utter silence.”

This debate came just days after 41 Republican Senators sent a letter to President Obama, urging him to withdraw the newly proposed “Clean Power Plan,” which aims to reduce carbon emissions from existing power plants 30 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. The letter, sent on June 4, was signed by every Republican senator except for Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Susan Collins (R-ME), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), and Bob Corker (R-TN). The Republicans say their main concerns with the regulation are that it will increase electricity prices, reduce consumers’ disposable income, and result in job losses.

Sen. Inhofe argued during his floor speech that the new EPA rule would force the nation to rely on “less reliable” sources of energy, such as wind and solar, saying, “we don’t always have a sun that’s going to be shining or wind that’s going to blow . . . but there is always a demand for power.” Sen. Markey responded, “we know that a flexible system like this can and will work across America,” alluding to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a regional partnership for reducing greenhouse gases in the Northeast that has been successfully operating since 2003.

All the Democratic speakers who took to the floor on Monday night cited scientific evidence which indicates humans are negatively influencing the environment through the release of greenhouse gases. Sen. Sanders commented, “Virtually the entire scientific community believes that climate change is real and it’s already creating problems.” Recent studies released in the past few months — including the National Climate Assessment (NCA), written by the U.S. Global Change Research Program — have shown numerous examples of climate change impacts which are already happening. The White House also released a report on Friday, June 6, with findings on the health impacts of climate change on the American people.