News | Climate Change

http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/17538-1

DENVER - The 112th U.S. Congress gets to work in Washington today, and there could be some big changes in the way the nation approaches energy policies. Nearly every state has a representative or senator who denies the science of climate change, and that includes Colorado freshman Congressman Cory Gardner. Gardner has said while he doesn't doubt that the earth is warming, he questions whether the condition is caused by human activities.

Martin Wagner, chair of the Global Warming Practice Group of Earthjustice, says there's a reason to be concerned, because carbon emissions need to be curbed.
"If we don't reduce U.S. emissions, it will be almost impossible to solve the problem. If the United States doesn't take action we're not going to get action from the other countries that are major emitters."
Gardner, who turned down a request for an interview, will serve on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee, where he hopes to have what he calls a "hearty oversight" of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and energy policy. In all, 45 states have at least one climate change skeptic in Congress.
The website Politico named Gardner as one of the ten GOP freshmen congressmen to watch on energy policy: those congressmen share the goals of ramping up domestic production, rolling back Obama administration environmental regulations, and blocking the cap-and-trade policy to control carbon emissions.
Wagner says a responsible climate-skeptic lawmaker would take precautionary action, using this opportunity to wean the country from a dependence on foreign fossil fuels.
"Maybe we put a little bit of money into creating a whole new energy-independent economy, and we've moved away from pollution. The downside is just not there."
Rep. Gardner has indicated he supports the production of alternative energy sources in addition to fossil fuels. However, his predecessor in Colorado's 4th Congressional District, Betsy Markey, voted in favor of the climate bill in the last Congress; that measure is something Gardner opposes.