It's been a staple of our state's political coverage to note that Minnesota House Republicans frequently deny the climate change exists. Witness Stribber Jon Tevlin's 2015 column, Minnesota House says: 'What climate change?".
Or Susan Du's article last month in the City Pages, Minnesota House Republicans slash funding for environment, climate science.
Not so for their peers on the other side of the aisle, and now at least 26 Democratic Minnesota legislators have joined 550 colleagues from around the country in the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators in State Legislators United for Climate Action.
Here's the statement; scroll to pages 8 and 9 to read the full list of North State lawmakers who've signed on:
State Legislator Statement on Paris Agreement uploaded by Sally Jo Sorensen on Scribd
Via a press release from Representative Rick Hansen, DFL-S. St. Paul, we learn:
Minnesota has been a leader on renewable energy and efficiencies,” remarked Rep. Hansen. “The vast majority of Minnesotans know climate change is man-made. They know we cannot cede America’s leadership on this issue so a few radical Republicans in Washington can play politics with our world’s future. Our clean energy economy is thriving and creating good paying jobs all across Minnesota. I’m proud to join my colleagues across America in showing that we’ll act at the state level if President Trump won’t at the national level—future generations deserve nothing less.”
Here's the statement, along with a list of Minnesota legislators who have signed on, from Hansen and House Minority Leader Melissa Hortman to Greater Minneota legislators David Bly, DFL-Northfield; Clark Johnson, DFL-North Mankato; Tina Liebling, DFL-Rochester; and, Jennifer Schultz, DFL-Duluth, In the Minnesota Senate, Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul; and, John Marty, DFL-Roseville, are joined by six of their colleagues.
Kudos for these lawmakers for standing up for science.
Photo: A deer tick (black-legged tick). National Public Radio's Michaeleen Doucleff reported in Will climate change help ticks and mosquitoes spread disease? that climate change is likely to help spread these ticks, which carry Lyme disease. It may possibly also carry the disease described in Rare tick-triggered meat allergy spreads in northern Minnesota. While we can understand why Republicans might reject science, we're surprised that they're not sticking up for the right of Minnesotans to be able to eat bacon.
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