Menendez, Booker Introduce Bill to Rescind President Trump’s Anti-Climate Executive Order

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker today joined a group of more than 30 Senators in introducing legislation to rescind President Trump’s executive order signed Tuesday that reversed several landmark initiatives to combat climate change and protect our nation’s air quality.

“President Trump’s executive order is grossly misguided, shortsighted, and puts the health and well-being of everyday Americans at greater risk,” said Sen. Menendez.  “The rollback of clean air and climate change protections will choke New Jerseyans in a cloud of soot and smog drifting eastward from coal-burning states, and threaten our shores with more frequent and powerful storms like Sandy.  I will do everything I can to fight this latest attempt to line the pockets of corporate polluters and fossil fuel cronies at the expense of everyone else.”

“President Trump’s Executive Order does serious damage to nearly a decade of progress on one of the most defining – and important – issues of our time. Our bill recognizes that climate change is an urgent economic and national security threat, and would block this woefully misguided order,” Sen. Booker said.

The Clean Air Healthy Kids Act would block federal agencies from implementing actions outlined in the executive order that rolls back the Clean Power Plan and other efforts to combat climate change through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and expansion of clean, renewable energy production.

The Clean Power Plan is on track to provide $54 billion in annual climate and health benefits each year, prevent thousands of premature deaths and asthma attacks in children, reduce electricity bills for homes and businesses, and create thousands of good-paying jobs.

The legislation is also cosponsored by Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).