WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Wednesday released the following statement praising President Joe Biden’s executive actions to address the climate crisis:

"The planet is in crisis, we don't have time to waste, and President Biden understands this. Today's executive actions will hold polluters accountable and prioritize a clean energy future. But executive actions cannot suffice. Congress has got to put major investments behind all these efforts, so we can fully tackle this existential threat and create millions of good-paying union jobs in the process. This is a win-win deal that, for the sake of our children, we cannot leave on the table" said Murphy.

Specifically, today's executive actions will:

·        Establish stronger methane emissions standards for the oil and gas industry;

·        Reduce emissions through new, aggressive appliance and building efficiency standards;

·        Use the federal government procurement system—which spends $500 billion every year—to drive toward 100 percent clean energy and zero-emissions vehicles;

·        Ensure that all U.S. government installations, buildings, and facilities are more efficient and climate-ready;

·        Require the federal government to buy only electric vehicles; and

·        Revive more than 125 environmental reviews rolled back by the Trump administration. Notable rules include: management of water pollution at coal power plants, monitoring air pollution at oil refineries, fuel economy standards for cars, permits for pipeline construction.

In January, Murphy published an op-ed in Foreign Policy arguing that America must reclaim a global leadership role in the fight against climate change. In the piece, Murphy lays out five recommendations for how Congress can work with the incoming Biden administration to restore American climate leadership. These include restoring America’s commitment to the Green Climate Fund, greening the U.S. military and making it easier for trade partners to purchase American-made green technologies. Murphy also sponsored the Super Pollutants Act of 2019 along with U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) which aims to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants. Murphy also introduced the Green Bank Act of 2019 along with U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) which would create a national green bank to deploy public financing for regional, state, and municipal green banks, including the Connecticut Green Bank.

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