WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) today announced that six additional members will join the newly-formed bipartisan Senate ClimateSolutions Caucus: Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Angus King (I-Maine), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.). The caucus is bringing together an equal number of Republicans and Democrats to craft and advance bipartisan solutions to address climate change.
“If we are to make meaningful, sustainable progress toward combatting climate change, both Republicans and Democrats have to be at the table,” said Senator Coons. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in launching this important effort to take the politics out of this discussion and work toward real solutions. We look forward to continuing to hear from business leaders, workers, farmers, and a range of experts about their priorities and ideas for how we can best address climate change and strengthen American competitiveness.”
“As a life-long conservationist, I am proud to launch the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus with Senators Coons, Shaheen, King, Bennet, Murkowski, Romney, and Graham,” said Senator Braun. “For too long, Washington has been paralyzed by partisan gamesmanship, unable to have productive conversations about our changing climate. Through this caucus we can have real conversations about protecting our environment, securing America’s energy future and protecting American manufacturing jobs.”
“I thank Senator Braun and Senator Coons for forming the Senate’s Climate Solutions Caucus and am pleased to be part of it. I welcome the bipartisan, consensus-based approach this group has committed to and believe it will support and expand on the important work we are undertaking on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee,” Senator Murkowski said. “Through constructive dialogue and by working together, we can advance timely, pragmatic policies that will help lower our greenhouse gas emissions and address the threatening reality of climate change.”
“We’re already seeing more extreme storms, rising temperatures and polluted air that are having a dangerous impact on our well-being,” said Senator Shaheen. “Congress has been dragging its feet on climate change for too long – wherever there’s common ground, we need to seize it. It’s time to cross party lines and take this threat seriously. I hope that through this Caucus, we can put our heads together and have meaningful, constructive conversations that lead to common-sense steps forward to address the direct threats posed by climate change.”
“Addressing climate change is going to require significant private sector investments and a major global breakthrough in innovation and technology. To that end, Congress should explore ways to incentivize the research, development, and deployment of clean technologies,” said Senator Romney. “This caucus will serve as a starting point for a productive bipartisan dialogue so we can begin to come up with solutions for addressing climate change.”
“The threats of climate change don’t end at party lines, and our work to mitigate these effects can’t either,” said Senator King. “The impacts of this crisis are already being felt in Maine; the Gulf of Maine, which plays a vital role in both our economy and our culture, is warming faster than 99% of the world’s oceans. This is the most serious global challenge of our time, and we have areas of bipartisan agreement where we can start working together to make much-needed progress. I’m ready to join with any of my colleagues – from any political party and any corner of the country – to take meaningful steps that will protect the planet for our children and grandchildren.”
“I believe climate change is real. I also believe that we as Americans have the ability to come up with climate change solutions that can benefit our economy and our way of life,” said Senator Graham. “The United States has long been a leader in innovation. Addressing climate change is an opportunity to put our knowledge and can-do spirit to work to protect the environment for our benefit today and for future generations.”
“To effectively address the climate crisis we need enduring solutions – ones that won’t whipsaw back and forth with changing political winds,” said Senator Bennet. “We need to build the same broad consensus in Washington to address the climate crisis that exists across the country. This bipartisan caucus is a step closer to achieving that goal, and I’m honored to join Senators Coons and Braun and my colleagues in this effort.”
The caucus held its first meeting Tuesday with CEOs who came to Capitol Hill as part of the CEO Climate Dialogue, a collection of 20 companies with $1.3 trillion in combined annual revenue and four leading environmental nonprofit organizations that have come together to advocate for federal climate policy. The group discussed their support for the bipartisan development of legislation that will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions using market-based approaches that are durable, equitable, and supportive of the American economy.
