“The era of delay and denial is over,” Heather Zichal says.
The Hill reports:
Obama is focused on “depoliticizing” climate policy as he prepares to roll out a suite of executive actions to cut greenhouse gas emissions, Zichal said.
She said that “most Americans have stopped debating the reality of climate change,” suggesting that wildfires in the West, Hurricane Sandy and other extreme weather events linked to climate change has made it more palpable.
Congressional Republicans are responding to climate change as well, Zichal said.
Zichal noted a Republican senator from Utah (Mike Lee) has introduced legislation to prevent wildfires and that Texas Republicans are concerned about water conservation.
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee also skirted the climate debate in its Water Resources Development Act legislation. Lawmakers instead steered conversation toward the impact extreme weather events have on coastal infrastructure.
While such congressional activity does not address the reasons climate change is occurring, Zichal said it shows GOP lawmakers acknowledge there is a problem.
“The era of delay and denial is over,” Zichal said.
Since political power is the only reason for continuing the climate change discussion, Obama is obviously going to politicize it. That, and he can only deal with things as politics; he has no visible grasp of principle, law, history, economics…anything useful to the nation in a president.