Climate change laws critical to survival say senators

Senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), John Kerry (D-Mass.) Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) spoke at a news conference in the Upper Senate Park about the upcoming climate legislation. Boxer, chairwoman for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said that she could not have sent the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act to the floor without a bipartisan effort in the Senate. She presented a graph that showed rising gas prices since 2000. According to Boxer’s chart, in 2000 the price of gas stood at $1.47/gallon. Current gas prices average $3.94/gallon. Boxer added that President Bush opposes the bill because it has the potential to increase gas prices by a total of $0.50 by the year 2030.

Kerry emphasized the importance of the bill, stating that it goes to the core of the problems facing future generations and that it will enhance future legislation. Kerry said that this legislation affects the United States’ ability to survive, declaring “this is a bill and this is an effort whose time has come.”