Bennet, Colleagues Launch New Senate Democratic Special Committee on the Climate Crisis

VIDEO: Bennet Announces New Committee on Climate Change

Washington, D.C. — Following Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s refusal to create a bipartisan committee on climate change, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, with ten Democratic colleagues, today established a new Senate Special Committee on the Climate Crisis.

“For many reasons—most of all, the corruption of money in our politics—Republicans in Washington refuse to treat climate change as a serious issue,” Bennet said. “Our children’s future can’t become another casualty of Washington’s mindless partisanship. We need to construct enduring solutions to climate change, and this committee is a step forward in accomplishing that goal.”

The Committee will be tasked with investigating, holding hearings, and issuing findings on the economic and national security consequences of climate change. It also will explore how acting on the climate crisis presents significant opportunities for jobs, public health, and the economy. The Committee will work with environmental, financial, and national security experts to find solutions for communities impacted by climate change and provide oversight of special interests that foster climate denial.

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) will chair the committee, and in addition to Bennet, members include U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV), and Tina Smith (D-MN).