Kaine Statement On President Obama's Climate Action Plan

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement in response to President Barack Obama’s Climate Action Plan:

“Today, the President laid out a series of steps to address the negative effects of carbon pollution on our environment.   I applaud the focus and am studying the details of the proposal with care.

“I believe the scientific consensus that we must reduce our reliance on carbon-based energy.   America has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 9 percent since 2005 through innovation in energy use and production, dramatic improvements in energy efficiency and smart policy choices.  We need to continue to make energy cleaner tomorrow than today as a strategy to tackle climate issues.  For this reason, I have recently advocated that we avoid use of tar sands oil.

“At the same time, there is no realistic plan that involves eliminating fossil fuel in the short or mid-term.   We must reduce our carbon usage wisely through regulations that properly phase in new requirements over time and don’t unduly impact communities that rely on coal production. And, as we do so, we can scale up our investments in low and no carbon energy sources in ways that will increase American jobs.  As in so many areas, this is fundamentally about finding a balanced approach that capitalizes on American innovation.  I look forward to tackling that challenge with businesses, researchers, my Senate colleagues and, especially, Virginians who believe that economic growth and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand.”

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