A Senate panel on Wednesday heard testimony from Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy on the EPA's proposed carbon pollution standards for existing power plants. Republicans on the Senate environment committee criticized the EPA initiative, which was designed after other proposals to deal with the planetary crisis of global warming were blocked by Republicans in Congress. Sen. Bernie Sanders is a member of the Senate environment committee.
"We are in a remarkable moment in American history. For the first time, we have a major political party that is rejecting what the scientific community is saying," Sanders said. "There is no more debate," he continued. "The overwhelming majority of scientists are saying that climate change is real, climate change is caused by human activity and climate change already is causing devastating problems in the United States and around the world. If we do not get our act together by significantly reducing carbon and methane emissions," Sanders said, "the situation will only get worse. That we have a major political party rejecting that is extremely frightening."