By CREDO
Representatives of the coal, utility and auto industries in the Senate have refused to exercise leadership on climate change. It's time for President Obama to use his executive power through the Environmental Protection Agency and take action on global warming.
On Wednesday, 26 Democrats joined Republicans in the Senate and voted to ensure that the filibuster will be used to block any meaningful climate legislation this year. The rule passed prohibits Congress from using the budget reconciliation process to pass real action on climate. Any truly effective bill will surely suffer death by filibuster because there are more than 40 Senators committed to deferring any real action on climate change that would threaten the coal, oil, and auto industries.
This betrayal by Democrats on one of the most important issues of our time, is deeply disappointing. However, President Obama doesn't need Congress' help to take a very important step: Regulating carbon.
During the Bush administration, EPA administrators rejected scientists' findings on the dangers of carbon. But on March 20, the Obama Administration's EPA finally submitted a long-awaited "endangerment finding" to the White House. Now with this finding, President Obama can order the EPA to reduce carbon emissions, including those from coal burning utilities.
With Congress dragging its feet on progress, the time for President Obama to act is now.
Sign this petition today to ask President Obama to approve the EPA endangerment finding and regulate carbon emissions now