Modest Climate Change Bill Draws Sponsors from Both Sides of the Aisle

A small but increasingly vocal group of Republicans is embracing the reality of global warming and taking small steps to press the issue in Congress.

A bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. House on Thursday would create a commission to look for economically viable solutions to climate change.  Amid the pro-fossil-fuels push by the Trump administration, the effort reflects how a small but increasingly vocal group of Republicans is embracing the reality of climate change and pressing the issue in Congress through modest steps.

This is the second time the bill, called the Climate Solutions Commission Act, has been introduced, after failing to pass in 2016.

It would establish a bipartisan National Climate Solutions Commission, which would conduct a comprehensive review of what can be done in both the private and public sectors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while growing the economy and protecting jobs.  If passed, it also would direct the Government Accountability Office to report on the financial tools, policies and institutions that can help reduce emissions while protecting economic growth.

The effort comes at a time when the Trump administration is rapidly rolling back climate policy and environmental protections and pushing unrestricted fossil fuel development, under the premise of creating jobs.  Earlier this year, a group of 17 House Republicans introduced a resolution that called for the House to commit to working on climate change solutions that keep the health of the economy in mind.

Rep. John Delaney (D-MD), one of the new bill's sponsors, said he can't predict whether it will pass this year, but he notes that there are nearly twice as many cosponsors this time—six representatives from each side of the aisle.

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