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27 Republican Senators Vote for Climate Death [1]

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Date: 2022-10-16

Air conditioners and refrigeration units leak climate destroying hydroflurocarbons into the atmosphere.

In September, the United States Senate approved an international climate treaty for the first time in 30 years. The Kigali Amendment to the 1987 Montreal Climate Protocol will sharply reduce the production of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) used in refrigerators and air-conditioners. HFCs are dangerous greenhouse gases with a thousand times the heat-trapping capacity of carbon dioxide. Because approval of any treaty requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate, this bill could not be passed along party lines. Twenty-one Republican Senators voted in favor of the treaty including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) and Lindsey Graham (SC). Despite their support, 27 Republican Senators, including Florida Senator Rick Scott, voted against the treaty. There is no excuse for their vote. It was a vote for climate death. Every one of them needs to be removed from elected office and banned from serving in government again. The complete list is below.

The effort to block the treaty was spearheaded by Americans for Prosperity (AFP), one of the oil billionaire Koch brothers’ lobbying arms. AFP sent Senators a letter calling ratification of the Kigali Amendment an “abdication of U.S. sovereignty over environmental regulation” to the United Nations. AFP also claimed to be worried that the treaty would raise the price of air-conditioners and refrigerators for American consumers.

Senator John Barrasso (WY), the ranking Republican on the Senate’s Energy Committee was one of the opponents of the treaty and the Republican leadership should remove him from his committee position. If the Republicans retake the Senate in November, Barrasso, who was reelected to the Senate in 2018 with 136,210 votes, is slated to become the committee’ chair and he will be in a position to block any new climate legislation. He accused Senators concerned about the impact of hydrofluorocarbons on the environment of giving “China a handout at the expense of the American taxpayer and American hardworking families.”

Barrasso’s election campaigns are largely funded by fossil fuel companies including Chevron and Marathon and the securities industry. During his last reelection campaign, he was the Koch Industries third most favorite Senator and in exchange he continually pushed the Koch Agenda including a rollback of fuel efficiency standards and repeal of incentives to drivers who purchase electric cars. His opposition to electric car subsidies echoes his opposition to restrictions on hydrofluorocarbons. According to Barrasso, “Every time one of these cars sells, the U.S. taxpayer must help pay for it.”

There is currently a 50-50 split in the United States Senate. The Democratic Party has a narrow majority because of Vice-President Kamala Harris. If Republicans take control of the Senate they will chair all Senate committees and decide agendas and what will be investigated. In November there will be elections for United States Senate seats in these states. Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Follow Alan Singer on twitter at https://twitter.com/AlanJSinger1

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/10/16/2129378/-27-Republican-Senators-Vote-for-Climate-Death

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