Despite Administration Denial Senate Poised For Action On Global Warming

(1 October, 2003 — Washington)  Environmental Defense today praised Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today for pledging to soon secure a Senate vote on an extremely affordable version of the McCain Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act containing a first phase of greenhouse gas pollution reductions.  The Act is the first proposal for a bi-partisan and comprehensive national policy to cut the greenhouse gas pollution disrupting the Earth’s climate.  The measure, co-sponsored by Senators McCain and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), was discussed during today’s Senate Commerce Committee hearings on climate change, chaired by Senator McCain.

“The bi-partisan McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act is a measured and affordable approach to the global warming problem.  At a low cost of an estimated $10 per household in 2010, this bill gives Senators an easy choice between doing something or doing nothing about climate change.  Senators ready to take on this problem should vote for this reasonable first step to protect our country and our children from greenhouse gas pollution,” said Environmental Defense president, Fred Krupp.

“The vote on the Climate Stewardship Act will be the litmus test for Senators on global warming,” said Krupp.  “More than 150,000 people have signed on as citizen co-sponsors of the Climate Stewardship Act.  For too long our leaders have denied any responsibility to find solutions - - all Americans have a right to know where their Senators stand on the issue.” 

This fall’s vote on the measure will give Senators the chance to halt the waffling and delay on climate change and participate in a real debate about the only thing that counts on climate policy — getting greenhouse gas pollution to go down, not up. 

“America is the number one source of the pollution contributing to global warming, and for too long our leaders have denied any responsibility to find solutions.  The bi-partisan Climate Stewardship Act is a modest first step in absolutely the right direction,” said Krupp.

Environmental Defense is strongly backing the Act and has launched an advertising campaign and has also been coordinating a petition campaign in support of the bill that has generated more than 150,000 citizen co-sponsors.