House Democrats on Wednesday unveiled long-awaited legislation designed to reduce carbon emissions and take on climate change by binding the United States to commitments…
House Democrats on Wednesday unveiled long-awaited legislation designed to reduce carbon emissions and take on climate change by binding the United States to commitments made under the Obama-era Paris climate accord.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) joined other Democrats in releasing the legislative package in the Capitol, framing climate change as « an existential threat » and promising that the party will move the legislation quickly to the floor.
“The American people know that the… crisis is an existential threat of our generation, of our time, a crisis manifested in natural disasters of epic proportions,” she said.
The five-page bill known as the Climate Action Now Act aims to block President Trump from pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement reached by the U. S. and other world powers in 2015 under former President Obama. Under the bill, Trump would also have to submit a new plan to Congress outlining how the U. S. will continue to meet the goals established in the Paris agreement.
Trump has said the accord threatens the economic prosperity of industries in the U. S., and that he intends to withdraw from the agreement in November 2020 – the earliest he’s legally permitted to do so.
Since taking office, Trump has allowed his administration to circumvent the carbon-cutting goals laid out by the agreement.
The Democrats’ bill comes from Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), chairwoman of the House Select Committee on Climate Crisis, a panel that Pelosi created at the start of the year following calls from progressives for a more concerted effort in the Democratic-led House to tackle climate change.
The issue has created some territorial tensions within the party, as leaders of the committees with jurisdiction over climate initiatives have fought to maintain their authority over how the Democrats proceed.
