Sen. Carper bill kicks the climate can to 2050
WASHINGTON – This morning Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the Clean Economy Act, a bill to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The bill would require unspecified interim emission reduction targets to be set for 2025, 2030 and 2040, but would leave the setting of those targets to the Environmental Protection Agency.
In response, Lukas Ross, Friends of the Earth’s senior policy analyst issued the following statement:
Although this is better than Chairman Pallone’s disastrous 2050 climate bill in the House, Senator Carper’s opening bid falls far short of what the climate crisis demands. We need binding emission reduction targets, in line with what climate justice and historical responsibility demand, far sooner than 2050. Unspecified interim targets are ill-suited to our moment of climate emergency and put too much faith in future administrations.
As we have seen from the House process, too many Democrats still support false solutions like natural gas and nuclear. Emissions trading schemes like cap and trade must be completely off the table. The fact that Senator Carper’s plan prominently touts carbon capture is hardly putting a best foot forward. We need to act aggressively, with specific and binding targets well before 2050.
Expert contact: Lukas Ross, (202) 222-0724, [email protected]
Communications contact: Patrick Davis, (202) 222-0744, [email protected]