House Energy Committee Votes Down Climate Reality

authordefault
on

The House Energy and Commerce Committee had the opportunity earlier this week to pass an amendment making it clear that the House accepts the scientific consensus that climate change is real. But it seems that once again dirty energy industry money was enough to convince the Republicans on the committee that science doesnโ€™tย matter.

Twenty-four House Republicans voted against the amendment. Introduced by Democratic Representative Jan Schakowsky, the amendment stated that the House of Representatives accepts that climate change is happening and that it is the result of rising greenhouse gas emissions. The failed amendment was tacked onto the Electricity Security and Affordability Act which will prohibit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from enacting emissions standards on electricity plants until carbon capture technology is more โ€œcommercially viable,โ€ which is industry slang forย โ€œcheap.โ€

ThinkProgress has the details on the committeeโ€™s decision to denyย reality:

Twenty-four E&C members โ€” all Republicans โ€” voted against the amendment. Among them was E&C Chair Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), who has said before that he doesnโ€™t think climate change is caused by human activity, and Joe Barton (R-TX), who also questions humansโ€™ role in climate change. In total, the Republicans who voted to deny climate change have accepted about $9.3 million in career contributions from the oil, gas and coal industries, according to analysis by the CAP Action Warย Room.

ThinkProgress points out that this is the second time that House Republicans voted down an amendment that forced the House to accept the science of climate change. The first was a failed amendment inย 2011.

This vote comes on the heels of a series of freak winter storms that have left countless areas in the traditionally warmer Southeast covered in snow and ice.ย  It also happens just a month and a half after the end of the fourthย warmest year on record.

As I pointed out earlier this month, every member of the U.S. House of Representatives is up for re-election this year, and it is going to be a very tough battle for incumbents, as the House currently has an approval rating of less than 13%.ย 

If incumbents hope to hold onto their jobs, they will need the campaign dollars of the dirty energy industry, and this failed amendment โ€“ along with the EPA-destroying bill it was attached to โ€“ is just one of many actions that will be taken this year to show loyalty to theย industry.

authordefault

Farron Cousins is the executive editor of The Trial Lawyer magazine, and his articles have appeared on The Huffington Post, Alternet, and The Progressive Magazine. He has worked for the Ring of Fire radio program with hosts Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Mike Papantonio, and Sam Seder since August 2004, and is currently the co-host and producer of the program. He also currently serves as the co-host of Ring of Fire on Free Speech TV, a daily program airing nightly at 8:30pm eastern. Farron received his bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of West Florida in 2005 and became a member of American MENSA in 2009.ย  Follow him on Twitterย @farronbalanced.

Related Posts

Analysis
on

The Conservative leader, who attacked โ€œradical green absolutismโ€ in a Washington DC speech, recently met with a host of influential anti-climate figures.

The Conservative leader, who attacked โ€œradical green absolutismโ€ in a Washington DC speech, recently met with a host of influential anti-climate figures.
on

Campaigners raise concerns over โ€˜alarmingโ€™ potential conflicts in the powerful political grouping.

Campaigners raise concerns over โ€˜alarmingโ€™ potential conflicts in the powerful political grouping.
on

Major oil and gas firms are being represented by lobbyists that have given more than ยฃ300,000 in support to Keir Starmerโ€™s party.

Major oil and gas firms are being represented by lobbyists that have given more than ยฃ300,000 in support to Keir Starmerโ€™s party.
on

New documents show close coordination between the oil major and a coalition of free-market think tanks at a crucial moment in climate diplomacy.

New documents show close coordination between the oil major and a coalition of free-market think tanks at a crucial moment in climate diplomacy.