BURLINGTON, Vt.–(ENEWSPF)–March 10 – In a dramatic gesture to urge action on climate change, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and other members of the Senate Climate Action Task Force will pull an all-nighter speaking on the Senate floor from Monday night through Tuesday morning.
“When I go home to Vermont, people ask me what world the United States Congress is living in,” said Sanders. “They understand that the overwhelming majority of scientists agree that climate change is real, it is caused by human activity and it is causing devastating damage all over the world. They want us to act and take bold measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
“So many senators coming together for an all-night session shows our commitment to wake up Congress to the dangers of climate change,” said Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chairman of the Senate environment committee.
Sanders and Boxer have introduced the Climate Protection Act to tax the carbon and methane emissions that cause climate change. Their measure would encourage companies to move to cleaner forms of energy. Rebates to consumers would reduce the impact of the tax on their energy bills. The revenue also would be used to help invest in clean energy technologies. “As we transform our energy system away from fossil fuels, we must finally begin pricing carbon pollution emissions so that polluters themselves begin carrying the costs instead of passing them on to our children and our grandchildren,” Sanders said.
In addition to Sanders and Boxer, senators expected to participate include Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Angus King (I-Maine), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).
Source: sanders.senate.gov
