Markey: GOP will blame immigrants for wildfires, but not climate change

Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) hammered Republicans on Friday for downplaying the role of climate change in recent wildfires.

Markey said Republicans will say bureaucratic red tape and “even immigrants” are behind extreme weather incidents before they will admit that climate change is the culprit.

“If we are serious about reducing catastrophic wildfires, we must first acknowledge there is a link between climate change and wildfires,” Markey said during a House Natural Resources subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands hearing.

Wildfires in the west, record-high heat and a spate of invasive species in climates not normally suited to them all point to climate change, Markey said at the hearing on a trio of bills. 

Markey used a baseball analogy to describe climate change, saying that people cannot pin one home run on steroids, “but when there’s 70 in one season” there is cause for concern.

Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) had another baseball aphorism that he wielded to cast doubts on climate change.

“Home runs are a cause of steroids,” Bishop said. “Well, home runs are also a cause of corked bats.”

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