Purchased by the oil and gas industry (see a new report Corporate funding and ideological polarization about climate change), many GOP representatives are desperately searching for ways to block America’s commitment to climate help initiatives. See: GOP grasps for leverage over Paris climate-change deal:
The Senate passed a pair of GOP-led bills yesterday that would block sweeping EPA regulations to cut carbon emissions from power plants, rules that would help the U.S. to meet the pledge it offered in the climate negotiations to cut its greenhouse gas emissions 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. The House is likely to follow suit, but the measures are largely symbolic because they already face a firm White House veto threat.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia Republican helping to lead the GOP effort, said ahead of the vote that lawmakers are trying to send a message to the Paris talks. “[President Obama] is getting ready to enter into a global climate agreement. I think by showing that we disapprove of this regulation, [it] shows that the country is not behind the policies he is putting forward,” she told reporters in the Capitol.
Also see: Proof that Exxon and the Kochs distorted the public’s understanding of climate change. Will there be lawsuits coming against those who breach their public service duty and actively work to harm and impede health on the planet? Will they be prosecuted for criminal negligence and put in jail? How will any of this compensate us after irreparable harm has been done?
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