WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Thursday made the following statement after the Senate failed to pass a Congressional Review Act resolution that would roll back the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s “Affordable Clean Energy” Rule:

“Climate change threatens our planet and national security. By not passing this resolution, we’re allowing this administration to unravel years of progress we’ve made to protect our air and water and to curb carbon emissions. We’re also all but ensuring that the United States will not live up to its commitments under the Paris Agreement while sending a clear message to our children that we don’t care about the future we leave them. The federal government has a legal and moral obligation to address carbon emissions, and we must act now,” said Murphy.

The Senate voted on S.J.Res.53, a resolution of disapproval to nullify the Trump administration’s so-called “Affordable Clean Energy” rule, which the EPA finalized on July 8, 2019. The Trump administration rule repealed the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan, which would have dramatically reduced carbon emissions from power plants, and replaced it with an industry-friendly rule that fails to make meaningful carbon reductions. The resolution failed to pass by a vote of 41 to 53.

This Congress, Murphy introduced the Super Pollutants Act of 2019 along with U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) which aims to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants. Murphy also introduced the Green Bank Act of 2019 along with U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) which would create a national green bank to deploy public financing for regional, state, and municipal green banks, including the Connecticut Green Bank. 

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