Carper Statement on Senate Global Warming Vote

WASHINGTON (June 22, 2005) – Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., released the following statement after the Senate defeated legislation, offered by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., to address global warming. Carper is the senior Democrat on the Senate’s Clean Air, Climate Change and Nuclear Safety Subcommittee and has advocated passing legislation to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide in order to mitigate the threat of global warming. “I’m disappointed that the Senate once again failed to address in any meaningful way one of the more-pressing issues of our time: global warming. While it’s encouraging to see many of my colleagues finally admit that climate change is happening, we as our nation’s leaders need to go one step further and actually pass legislation to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases. In Delaware, the highest point of land is a bridge. If sea levels continue to rise as projected, our descendants will be looking for beachfront property in Dover rather than Rehoboth in years to come. Many businesses, which have in the past opposed climate change legislation, are now calling for its enactment because they see it as inevitable and they want to know what’s going to be expected of them in the future. Many cities and states have also moved to control carbon dioxide emissions. But it’s going to take federal action to get the results we need. I will continue to work with my colleagues, namely Senators McCain and Lieberman, to enact meaningful climate change legislation in the future.”