Fw: Climate Change Update
RI Interfaith Power and Light
Dear Friends,
We just wanted to alert you to the latest activities in the effort to enact comprehensive climate change legislation. The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), on which Sen. Whitehouse serves, was scheduled to begin consideration of the Boxer-Kerry comprehensive climate change legislation today (Tuesday, November 3). However, consistent with its status as the “Party of No,” Committee Republicans not only chose to oppose this legislation, but decided to boycott the Committee meeting altogether, preventing the Committee from debating and voting on amendments. EPW Committee Chair Boxer has given the Republican Committee members 24 hours to reconsider whether they will engage on the climate issue. If they do not, she says she is prepared to use “every tool at her disposal” to move the legislation. The tactics and theatrics of the Republicans demonstrate clearly that they are not interested in seriously debating this critical issue. Meanwhile, despite the Republican boycott, the Committee is pressing ahead and reconvening -- at 2:30pm it began to hear testimony from EPA officials on their climate change analysis.
Click here to see Sen. Whitehouse’s opening remarks at the meeting.
Please let me know if you have any questions or if there is any additional information we can provide. We’ll try to keep you up to date on the events in EPW this week.
Thanks for all your help,
Tony