Testifying on Capitol Hill today, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, a Republican, urged the federal government to take climate action. “We understand the science and know the impacts are real because we are experiencing them firsthand,” Baker said. “The magnitude of the impacts from climate change requires all of us at the federal, state and local levels to put politics aside and work together.”
More from his written statement: “I am proud of our record of climate leadership in Massachusetts, and there is much to learn from how states and regions have approached this issue; but states cannot solve this problem alone. We need strong federal leadership and a bold bipartisan vision on climate change that seeks compromise and prioritizes practical market-based solutions, while affording states the flexibility to design strategies that work for their unique challenges while continuing to grow their economies.”
This was the first House Natural Resources Committee hearing on climate change since 2009.