Who is the Worst Offender: The Climate Denier or The Complacent Staller?

[babylonsister]

http://mydd.com/users/heather-taylor-miesle/posts/who-is-the-worst-offenderthe-climate-denier-or-the-complacent-staller

Who is the Worst Offender: The Climate Denier or The Complacent Staller?

by Heather Taylor-Miesle NRDC Action Fund, Tue Jun 08, 2010 at 01:32:14 PM EDT

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Lately I am even more frustrated with Senators who recognize that climate change is an urgent challenge, but who sit idly by on the sidelines doing nothing. For me, they raise the fundamental question – Who is worse - those that deny the existence of climate change or those that believe in the upcoming catastrophe and continue to lack focus or alarm?

Take Senator Schumer for example. He has stated that he thinks the Senate should confront the impacts of climate change. Yet just this week, when leaders should be pushing hard for climate action, Schumer’s support has been tepid at best. On Morning Joe, he showered Senator Bingaman’s energy-only bill with praise, then said, “What do you do about climate change? Kerry has a proposal that has pretty broad support…He is going to get a chance to offer that opinion, and we will see if it has the votes.”

We are looking for more from our Leaders than a passive wait and see attitude. Senator Schumer is the third ranking Democrat, and that means he needs to do more than wait around to cast a vote. It’s time for real leadership, which means rolling up his sleeves and making sure a bill passes. We need him in the trenches. In fairness, the Senator walked himself back a bit after people threw a fit over his Morning Joe ambivalence. He has pledged to meet with Senator Kerry on a path forward but until he demands action and puts him ample political muscle behind that call, I am skeptical.

Exhibit #2 is Senator Rockefeller. As a Senator from West Virginia, he wants the federal government to do a better job of regulating mine safety, especially after the horrifying disaster at the Massey coalmine. I applaud him for that stance, but here is where I get confused. When it comes to global warming--something Rockefeller says, “America must address”--he suddenly gets allergic to federal regulation. He wants the Senate to block the EPA from reducing global warming pollution until Congress gets it’s act together. The federal government can and should be involved – today. Just as federal regulation needs to be strengthened to deal with mine safety, we need to let the regulators use the tools on the books to begin addressing greenhouse gases.

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When I see Senators backpedalling, downplaying and side stepping climate action, I want to ask them: what are you waiting for? When is there going to be a better time to transition to clean energy? America is watching the cost of failed energy policies literally washing up on our shores. Our nation is desperately in need of the jobs and economic growth that a clean energy economy can provide. Congress has the most pro-clean energy members we are likely to get for several years.

I think I just answered my own question – which is worse, a climate-denier or a knowledgeable staller…. I vote that someone who fails to act when they know the stakes is much worse.

[blm]

1. Schumer worked for months to get climate change put off till next year....and push immigration ahead

on the senate schedule, though he had no immigration bill drafted. It's always good to find out what Schumer is doing BEHIND the scenes, because he's been able to snooker more than a few left bloggers with his weasel words in the past.

[hobbit709]

2. Six of one, half a dozen of the other.