Over the Memorial Day Congressional Recess, the Oxfam Action Corps was hard at work across the country making in-district visits to Senators to ensure international adaptation funding remains a priority of climate legislation. In San Francisco, 10 volunteers met with the staffers of Senators Feinstein and Boxer to reemphasize crucial information and share personal stories about the importance of adaptation. They told the staffers that it is urgent that the Senate act on climate change this year – every day the Senate doesn’t act, poor people worldwide who are hardest hit by climate change are left fighting on their own. (Boxer has been a long supporter of comprehensive climate legislation and adaptation, and Feinstein is supportive of passing a comprehensive climate bill, but her office hasn't yet released a public position on international adaptation...but stay tuned!)
Back on Capitol Hill this week Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) met with other leaders in the Senate to discuss how to move forward a climate bill. Oxfam is still anticipating outcomes from this meeting - we'll keep you posted! On the Republican side, Richard Lugar (R-IN) offered an alternative proposal and Lindsay Graham (R-SC) backpedaled on his commitment to the issue (details on his comments here).
And on a related note, a small victory! Yesterday the Senate voted 53-47 to defeat an effort by Sen. Murkowski (R-AK) to strip the Environmental Protection Agency of its ability to regulate greenhouse gases. For news coverage and a notable speech by Sen. Kerry (D-MA) click here. And click here for a NY Times article on the prospective of a comprehensive energy bill passing after this vote.
Stay tuned for more legislative updates and calls for action during this crucial time...
