Senate Democrats and environmentalists want to tack climate-change mandates onto proposed federal aid to major airlines and cruise lines reeling from the novel coronavirus outbreak.
In a letter to the House and Senate leadership, eight Senate Democrats said that any financial assistance to the travel industry “should be paired with requirements that companies act in a more responsible fashion” by reducing their carbon footprint.
“If we given the airline and cruise industries assistance without requiring them to be better environmental stewards, we would miss a major opportunity to combat climate change and ocean dumping,” said the Wednesday letter.
At the same time, more than 200 environmental and wildlife groups urged Congress to place a cap on greenhouse gases from U.S. air fleets, which would require the industry to reduce emissions by 20% per decade from 2020 levels.
“Climate change damages will wreak havoc on a scale even greater than the coronavirus,” said the Friday letter headed by the Center for Biological Diversity. “It is time to stop repeating the mistakes of the past and ensure that any bailout of the aviation industry puts it on a path to address its threat to our climate, workers and communities.”
Sheldon Whitehouse
✔@SenWhitehouse
We’re trying! It is possible to accomplish two goals at once, even in Congress. https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/if-were-bailing-out-corporations-they-should-bail-out-the-planet …

If We’re Bailing Out Corporations, They Should Bail Out the Planet
As companies pursue government assistance to endure an economic slump prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, Democrats have the power to make any bailout depend on promises to meet the targets set in…
newyorker.com
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2:15 PM – Mar 21, 2020
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Chris Horner@Chris_C_Horner
Which is really strange because everyone is with them on this https://twitter.com/tan123/status/1241176567532969992 …

Tom Nelson@tan123
#ClimateScam https://twitter.com/sciam/status/1240714696669396992 …
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The U.S. airline industry is pushing for $50 billion in financial assistance—about half in zero-interest loan guarantees, half in cash grants—as air travel nosedives in reaction to COVID-19, while the Senate GOP package as introduced includes loans but not grants.
The risk for Democrats lies with the optics of holding up critically needed aid over climate concerns. United Airlines and its unions warned Friday that layoffs would be necessary to account for next month’s anticipated 60% drop in planned flights without federal help.
Climate Depot’s Marc Morano blasted the effort to insert climate change into the pandemic response, saying that the “last thing U.S. businesses or the economy need are more punishing climate-based mandates to satisfy the Democrat Party base.”
“Democrats know that they should never let a crisis go to waste,” said Mr. Morano, author of “The Politically Incorrect Guide to Climate Change.” “They are pouncing on any opportunity to inject climate into the Covid-19 issue. Trying to make sure that any federal stimulus bills include going in the ‘right direction toward decarbonization’ is not the way to proceed.”
