By CAP Action War Room

More Than Half Of Republican Governors Are Climate Deniers

Here’s what we knew: Scientists are as sure of man-made climate change as they are that cigarettes kill. These changes already cause an increasing likelihood of extreme weather, pose dangerous health risks, and carry steep economic costs to taxpayers.

Here’s what we now know: Far too many governors, the people who see the impacts of climate change first hand and should be playing a leading role in their state, deny the climate science and refuse to believe that humans play a role in climate change. A CAP Action news analysis finds that of the 29 current Republican governors in the United States, fifteen — more than half — are climate change deniers. A number of others have made no public statement on climate science, have not taken action to address the issue, or have openly objected to federal safeguards that help blunt the impacts of climate change.

The map below lays this out in plain view (click here to view the interactive version). It categorizes governors into four groups: green for those who both accept climate science and are taking action to fight climate change; orange for those who either accept or haven’t openly denied climate science, but also have yet to take serious action to address climate change; red for those who have failed to take action or openly rejected to federal safeguards to address climate change; and red with stripes for climate deniers.

Here are just a few examples of some of the most backward comments and actions from governors around the country:

• Indiana: Governor Mike Pence (R). When asked if he accepts climate change science, Pence responded, “I don’t know that that is a resolved issue in science today…just a few years ago we were talking about global warming. We haven’t seen a lot of warming lately. I remember back in the 70’s we were talking about the coming ice age.” Pence also let Indiana’s state-wide energy efficiency program die by refusing to either sign or veto a bill that would end it (by default, the bill to end it became law).
• Maine: Governor Paul LePage (R). LePage is one of the most outspoken climate deniers, and has said that “scientists are divided on the subject.” He has argued that Maine could potentially benefit from the effects of climate change, vetoed legislation that would help the state prepare for extreme weather, blocked a bipartisan bill to expand solar power, and has attempted to dramatically reduce the state’s renewable energy standards to benefit large corporations.
• Texas: Governor Rick Perry (R). Perry has repeatedly questioned the science behind climate change — “I think we’re seeing almost weekly, or even daily, scientists that are coming forward and questioning the original idea that man-made global warming is what is causing the climate to change.” Perry, along with energy companies, industry front groups, and other conservative politicians, sued the EPA in an attempt to block the agency from regulating climate pollution. Their argument was that climate science is a hoax.

Instead of cutting carbon pollution and investing in clean energy, the fifteen Republican governors currently ignoring science have taken more than $15 million in campaign contributions from big polluters over the course of the careers. While their governors count the campaign cash, local communities are suffering.

BOTTOM LINE: Despite the overwhelming scientific consensus and the devastating impacts of climate change, more than half of America’s Republican governors are standing with the anti-science members of Congress. These officials, and the others who are dragging their feet on the issue, need to face the facts. The EPA’s Clean Power Plan to reduce carbon pollution from power plants requires state leadership, and the American people — who broadly support the new rules — want them to action.

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NEW VIDEO
The Military is Leading the Way to Half the Oil

Half the Oil Leadership

We see the costs of oil all around us, from the impacts of storms and droughts exacerbated by climate change to the pain of volatile prices at the pump. And it’s a reality that confronts our military daily: every time the price of a barrel of oil rises by ten dollars, the military spends more than one billion dollars more on oil, and that’s money that can’t be used to protect our service men and women or our national security.

In fact, the U.S. military is the largest user of oil in the world. That’s why the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard are leading the way on investing in oil saving solutions.

Across the United States and around the world, engineers, active-duty service men and women, and veterans are producing non-food based biofuels for aircraft and ships and deploying hybrid and electric vehicle technology on military bases and in the field. That’s good for fighting climate change and for our national security.

To tell the story of how our military is affected by oil and what they are doing about it, the Union of Concerned Scientists partnered with the Truman National Security Project—a group of national security experts who are working to address some of our biggest global challenges. Truman’s Operation Free project raises the voices of military veterans who have seen the costs of our oil use first-hand, and share an unparalleled commitment to making clean energy solutions a reality. We are proud to be partnering with Operation Free to support efficient and clean fuel technologies and policies, and hope you’ll join us in sharing the video that we made to explain what’s possible when we work together.

Watch the video and share this important story on Facebook, Google+ or on Twitter by sharing the tweets below:

* On #4thofJuly, salute our military’s work to cut #oil use. Share @ucsusa & @operationfree video: j.mp/1mFcZP5 #HalftheOil
* The military developed microchips & GPS. Now it’s clean vehicles & fuels. @ucsusa & @operationfree video explains: j.mp/1mFcZP5
* Learn what #electriccars & our military have in common, watch new @ucsusa & @operationfree video: j.mp/1mFcZP5 #HalftheOil

You might be surprised to learn how much progress the military is making on cutting oil use, and what citizens and scientists can do to help make these solutions a reality for all of us.

Sincerely,

Rachel Cohen
National Field Organizer
Clean Vehicles Program
Union of Concerned Scientists

CAP Action War Room

President Obama Just Announced The Single Largest Expansion Of LGBT Workplace Protections In Our Country’s History

As many as 9 out of 10 voters believe federal law already protects LGBT workers from discrimination. But it doesn’t. And while the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) was passed by the Senate this year, it has stalled in the House; Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has made it clear that there is “no way” ENDA will pass this year.

Enter the latest chapter of the Obama Administration’s “year of action.” The White House announced today that President Obama will issue an executive order requiring that all companies who contract with the federal government must not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Think Progress reporter Zack Ford has the details:

The order, expected to be finalized in the coming weeks, is an extension of orders previously issued by past presidents — most recently Johnson — similarly banning employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin among all contractors and subcontractors who do over $10,000 in business with the government in any one year.

The protections will reach over one million LGBT workers across the country, making it the single largest expansion of LGBT workplace protections in our country’s history. There continue to be 29 states that offer no employment protections on the basis of sexual orientation and 32 with no protections based on gender identity, but many LGBT workers in those states will now have workplace protections for the first time ever. As many as 43 percent of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people and 90 percent of transgender people have experienced some form of harassment or discrimination in the workplace.

As with Obama’s executive order raising the minimum wage for employees of federal contractors to $10.10, this order will cover an enormous number of people but still relies on Congress to pass a law making sure that millions more LGBT Americans have the freedom to work.

Recently, some LGBT advocates have been giving second thoughts to the current ENDA bill in Congress, based on a religious liberty exemption that could have the potential interpreted too broadly. Here’s Zack Ford again:

The LGBT movement has also become increasingly divided over whether ENDA in its current form is worth pursuing. After two decades of failed consideration in Congress, the bill has been weakened by an exemption that would grant religious organizations unprecedented privilege to continue discriminating against LGBT people. A number of state groups and legal organizations have recently dropped their support for ENDA because they believe that the exemption goes too far and codifies into law the idea that LGBT identities are incompatible with faith. The executive order is thus an important step even if ENDA eventually passes.

BOTTOM LINE: Americans of any sexual orientation and gender identity should have the freedom to work and the right to equal treatment in the workplace. President Obama’s latest executive action is the biggest expansion of those rights in American history. There is more left to be done when it comes to giving all Americans equal protection, and Congress should follow the President’s lead by passing a federal law that ends unfair and discriminatory workplace practices that hurt LGBT workers and their families.