The House was poised to pass two resolutions disapproving Obama’s power-plant rules and rendering them inoperative.
Advertisement
The White House has said Obama would veto the resolutions and Congress does not appear to have sufficient votes to override the veto.
Republicans on the floor said they deliberately held the votes the same day as the president’s remarks at an global climate change conference in Paris to show the president faced opposition back home.
“I don’t think that’s the best use of our money”, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-California, told reporters Monday.
Many conservatives in the US Congress deny that climate change is a result of human industry and agriculture, and have opposed emissions controls created to slow global warming.
Following President Barack Obama’s recent speech at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climage Change (UNFCC) 21st session of the Conference of Parties (COP21), U.S. Sen. “We know that (climate change) will endanger our children’s future if we don’t act now”.
Under the rule, the power sector’s carbon dioxide emissions will have to be cut by at least 32 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2030.
Twenty-five mostly Republican states, led by Texas and West Virginia, are contesting the plan in court, calling it an unlawful power grab that will kill jobs and drive up electricity costs. The maneuver is subject to a presidential veto and has rarely been successful.
Inhofe’s statement comes in the wake of several senatorial efforts to delineate its role vis a vis the President’s role in determining the American response to climate change, including the necessity of Congressional involvement in any emission reduction target commitments.
Advertisement
The Obama administration during the Paris climate summit pledges to reduce the United States emissions by as much as 28% in the coming decade. “When you weigh the costs and benefits against these so-called legally binding obligations, they do not add up”. “I think it’s very clear people want jobs”.
