Shaheen Statement on President Trump’s “Shortsighted” Action to Roll Back Efforts to Address Climate Change

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) released the following statement after President Trump signed an Executive Order to reverse climate change initiatives put in place by President Obama:

“President Trump is ignoring the mountain of evidence on climate change and plowing ahead with a dangerous agenda that threatens the health and well-being of New Hampshire,” said Shaheen. “Rolling back carbon emissions rules and clean energy initiatives is a shortsighted political move that prioritizes the interests of big oil and coal companies over every day Americans. In New Hampshire, we see the effects of climate change every day and it is a direct threat to our environment, economy and way of life. We owe it to future generations to build on the Clean Power Plan and the Paris Agreement in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. I will fight President Trump’s actions in the Senate and will soon introduce legislation with several of my colleagues to rescind the President’s Executive Order.”

As one of nine Northeastern states participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), New Hampshire has reduced greenhouse gas emissions in the power sector by nearly 50 percent since 2008. New Hampshire is on track to meet the Clean Power Plan's carbon reduction goals 10 years ahead of schedule. RGGI was the first market-based regulatory program in the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

A recently released report by the Coastal Risk and Hazards Commission, estimates that the Seacoast will experience sea-level rise due to climate change of between a half-foot and two feet by 2050. By 2100, the report estimates sea-level rise of one-and-a-half feet to over 6 feet.