Cindy Carr, cindy.carr@sierraclub.org
Earlier this afternoon, Republican Senators spent more than 80 minutes regurgitating a handful of tired talking points to distract from their own climate denial and refusal to act on the climate crisis. The Senators who spoke -- Ernst, Young, Cornyn, Tillis, Blunt, Capito, Braun, Sullivan, Barrasso, Cramer, and Boozman -- have received a career total of nearly $10 million in campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry.
A few highlights from today’s debate include:
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Every Republican Senator refusing to acknowledge that the climate crisis is real and is caused by humans.
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Every Republican Senator refusing to put forth their own plan for addressing the climate crisis.
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Nearly every Republican Senator referencing the debunked Green New Deal cost estimate from the Koch- and oil-funded American Action Forum.
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Senator Kevin Cramer willfully ignoring the fact that the climate crisis makes winter weather more extreme.
In response, Sierra Club Legislative Director Melinda Pierce said:
“Senate Republicans have wasted more time creating ridiculous stunts and making excuses on the floor than they have working on meaningful solutions to the climate crisis. The American people deserve real climate leadership, not a sideshow intended to stoke fear and protect the interests of the fossil fuel industry and senators’ donors.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.