Senator Carper on Climate Change: “This is an issue we can no longer afford to ignore”

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety, issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s address on climate change:

“For years, I have been working with my colleagues in Congress, President Obama and his administration to try to tackle what I believe is one of the biggest challenges of our generation – climate change. Some people believe that we can either have a strong economy or a clean environment, but I know – and history has shown – that this is a false choice. We can protect our environment while simultaneously growing our economy, and it’s unfortunate that this is no longer an issue with large bipartisan support. Not long ago, Congress passed and a Republican president signed the Clean Air Act – some of the strongest environmental protections in a generation. Today, some people in Congress seem narrowly focused on rolling back nearly every part of the Clean Air Act, and we spend more time preventing bad things from happening than putting in place robust protections against the threat of climate change.

“The harmful effects of climate change, specifically sea-level rise and extreme weather events like Superstorm Sandy, pose a unique and serious threat to my coastal home state of Delaware, as well as several of our neighbors along the coast and, really, our entire country. This is an issue we can no longer afford to ignore. That’s why I welcome the President’s announcement of a comprehensive plan to stem the tide of climate change. This is an important step, and it’s time for members of both parties, as well as leaders in the private sector, to work together to enact common-sense environmental protections that are good for both our earth and our economy.”