Meagan Wiseley – University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

While President Barack Obama is taking the Environmental Protection Agency’s ruling of the dangers and the toxicity of CO2 emissions and greenhouse gasses (GHGs) to Copenhagen climate change conference, Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) told reporters Thursday that the Senate must ratify any proposed climate change pledge that President Barack Obama will make during his visit.

“Any action that would be binding on the U.S., in the form of an international agreement, will of course have to be ratified by the U.S. Senate,” Kyl said at a press conference Thursday.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) spoke out against the possibility of the EPA and President Obama making any law on CO2 emissions or climate change.

“We’re not going to allow the Executive Branch or the Environmental Protection Agency, through the Clean Air Act or any other act, appropriate themselves the power to make laws to govern the people of the U.S.,” Graham said.

Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said she will file a resolution of disapproval in hopes of stopping the EPA from regulating GHGs.

Travis Martinez, University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

As leaders from across the world converge in Copenhagen for climate change talks, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) a lead proponent in climate change, explained Monday that America has been making changes that the rest of the world should follow.

“Take a look at America, because what you see, will please you,” Boxer said.

Boxer stressed in her remarks that America has stepped up their efforts from the state and local government fronts, to consumer and private sectors.

“A [California] 2006 law requires action to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020… The California Air Resources Board produced its first cap-and-trade blueprint,” said Boxer. “The actions by states are powerful evidence that our states are committed to participating in the clean energy transformation.”

She also spoke on recent actions by the Obama Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency who released findings that confirmed global warming presents a danger to people and the environment.

“The Clean Air Act provides EPA with powerful tools for addressing greenhouse gases, and the Supreme Court found it is their responsibility,” Boxer said. “The Obama Administration has done the right thing for the nation, for the planet and if you listen to our business community for the economy.”

Boxer said she is deeply concerned that “Personal” events on climate change could “Get in the way of science”. She explained that nothing from the stolen emails in the “Climate Gate” saga has contradicted the overwhelming science.

“The science is clear, the challenge is real, and the time to act is now… Our nation will be a full participant in crafting a global solution to this global challenge,” Boxer said.

David Kreutzer, Senior Policy Analyst in Energy Economics and Climate Change at the Heritage Foundation, says the Environmental Protection Agency’s ruling on the dangers of carbon dioxide is a “non surprise,” but a “controversial ruling in the science world” nonetheless. He says President Obama is taking that ruling to the Copenhagen climate change conference to “show some form of progress of cutting C02 emissions.” (0:34)

 

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David Kreutzer, Senior Policy Analyst in Energy Economics and Climate Change at the Heritage Foundation, says that President Obama’s visit to the Copenhagen climate change summit will have “little impact” on legislation in Congress. But, he says the President’s visit did affect the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent findings on the dangers of green house gas emissions. (0:20)

 

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David Kreutzer, Senior Policy Analyst in Energy Economics and Climate Change at the Heritage Foundation, says President Obama is attending the climate change conference in Copenhagen because climate change legislation was one of his major priorities when he began serving as President. Because he made that issue such a high priority, President Obama must attend the conference, says Kreutzer. (0:36)

 

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David Kreutzer, Senior Policy Analyst in Energy Economics and Climate Change at the Heritage Foundation, says President Obama is attending the Copenhagen climate change summit to “make a case that the United States is dealing with climate change differently than the previous administration.” (0:21)

 

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By Meagan Wiseley – University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) told reporters at a pen and pad session Monday that U.S. President Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress should be focused on jobs and the economic recession, not climate change.

“House Republicans continue to believe that…jobs are the number one priority of the American people, and should be the number one priority of this Congress,” Pence said.

According to a press release from Pence’s office, the Republican leader believes President Obama should “address serious concerns before traveling to Copenhagen” for the United Nations global climate change summit.

“At the time of double-digit unemployment, the last thing our country needs is a jobs-killing cap and trade scheme on our families and small businesses by bureaucrats at the United Nations,” the statement added.

In his remarks before reporters, Pence also said that if Obama enters the U.S. into a political agreement to reduce carbon emissions, U.S. small businesses would be at a “competitive disadvantage to those developing countries who have pledged to protect their growing economies from international carbon caps.”

After climate change efforts have stalled in Congress, Senior Policy Analyst Ben Lieberman with the Heritage Foundation, offered words of advice to President Obama as he shows up in Copenhagen “empty handed.”

“My grandmother used to say ‘whenever you visit someone you shouldn’t come empty handed.’ As the American delegation heads to Copenhagen, they don’t have the legislation that they wanted or regulations towards some step of climate regulation,” said Ben Lieberman, Senior Policy Analyst with the Heritage Foundation, during a panel discussion at the National Press Club. (0:31)

 

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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson says she did not consider holding off making a major announcement on Monday regarding her department’s ability to now regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Jackson says that nothing in the hundreds of emails between climate scientists at Britain’s Climatic Research Unit has undermined the science of data that supports the existence of climate change. (:28)

 

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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson says Monday that emails exchanged between climate scientists at Britain’s Climatic Research Unit represent only a small faction of opinion on climate change within the scientific community. Jackson says her department’s decision to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and support climate change legislation is based on loads of other data that support the need for action against climate change. (:38)

 

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