McCain Will Give Climate Top Priority, Unlike Bush Administration's EPA Punt

July 11, 2008

The Environmental Protection Agency's decision to drop global warming action from its 2008 to-do list is a major disappointment, but it underscores the difference that Senator John McCain will make if he's elected president this year, Republicans for Environmental Protection (REP), a national grassroots organization, said today.

"It is unfortunate that the Bush administration, in its final six months, cannot bring itself to do anything substantive about global warming, even though a Supreme Court decision last year said EPA is obligated to act," REP Government Affairs Director David Jenkins said.

"Things will change with a McCain administration," Jenkins added. "As Senator McCain said recently, 'The facts of global warming demand our urgent attention, especially in Washington. Good stewardship, prudence, and simple common sense demand that we act to meet the challenge, and act quickly.'"

McCain has made clear that adopting a cap-and-trade policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will be a top priority in his administration.

"With McCain as president, Americans can look forward to aggressive, hands-on leadership on climate change that will stand in stark and refreshing contrast to the Bush administration's do-nothing approach," REP Policy Director Jim DiPeso said.