Dems seek climate vote on post-Sandy aid bill

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) want to use debate over post-Hurricane Sandy aid to put lawmakers on the record on climate change.

His amendment declares the “sense of the Senate” that mitigating the effects of “extreme weather,” including curbing humans’ contribution to climate change, is in the nation’s economic interest.

Whitehouse and three colleagues proposed attaching the language to the $60.4 billion recovery and reconstruction bill that’s currently on the Senate floor.

But with dozens of proposed amendments piling up, Whitehouse and his three co-sponsors will face long odds landing the plan on the list of amendments that will be voted on.

In early December Whitehouse did not receive a vote on a proposed climate amendment to defense policy legislation.

Whitehouse introduced the amendment to the post-Sandy bill Tuesday with Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.).

It also declares the “sense of the Senate that:

“Current trends for air and ocean temperature, sea level, and ocean chemistry are associated with an increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events and are related to the release of man-made carbon dioxide, affecting the atmosphere and oceans.”

And also that:

“The response to extreme weather events presents significant costs to the Federal, State, and local governments, businesses, insurers, and individuals.”

Whitehouse, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has been giving a series of floor speeches calling for much more aggressive steps to tackle climate change.

An aide to the senator said Whitehouse wants a vote on the amendment, but doesn’t want to erect roadblocks to final passage of the disaster response bill.

“He hopes this amendment will be considered for a vote, but his top priority with this disaster funding bill is to make sure it gets passed swiftly in order to provide much needed relief to communities in Rhode Island and throughout the East Coast,” Whitehouse spokesman Seth Larson said.

This post was updated at 4:37 p.m.