April 21, 2016

The new House bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus held its first meeting this week. Formed out of concern for rising sea levels in their home state of Florida, Representatives Ted Deutch (D-FL) and Carlos Cubelo (R-FL) created the 10-member caucus to openly discuss options for addressing climate change and eventually create a bipartisan climate policy.

Made up of five Democrats and five Republicans, the caucus differs from the all-Democrat Congressional Safe Climate Caucus. Representative Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), a member of both caucuses, spoke to reporters about the first meeting of the bipartisan climate caucus, claiming that it went very well.

This inaugural meeting occurred in the midst of Republican criticism on the Senate floor over the recent Paris climate agreement signing in New York this week. Senators James Inhofe (R-OK) and John Barrasso (R-WY) spoke out on what they consider to be the illegality of the U.S. signing onto the United Nations agreement on climate change action.

Source: E&E News