Issues

Environment

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From protecting endangered species to restoring our ecosystems and investing in clean-energy solutions, the Obama administration and Democrats are committed to working to address our biggest environmental challenges.

Under the Obama administration, the Department of Transportation issued new fuel-economy standards, the first mandated increases in fuel economy for cars in decades. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken the first steps toward regulating carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants. For the first time, the U.S. will catalogue greenhouse gas emissions from large emission sources-—an important initial step toward measurable and transparent reductions.

Recent Updates
  • Republicans Once Supported Ending Oil Company Tax Breaks

    Despite opposition by the GOP and protest by oil executives, Democrats have continued their call to end government tax breaks for major oil and gas companies, the beneficiaries of windfall profits this year. But it was only a short time ago when Republicans, too, supported ending these unfair tax breaks.

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  • Video: GOP Must Stand Up to Big Oil

    Today in the Senate, Democrats are holding a hearing on eliminating unnecessary tax breaks for oil and gas companies -- and to discuss the need to combat rising energy prices. In the face of staggering oil industry profits, President Obama and congressional Democrats are pressing for an end to these unneeded government subsidies. Republicans, however, are refusing all efforts to roll back Big Oil’s $4 billion taxpayer payday.

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  • President Obama Speaks in Indiana about America’s Energy Future

    Last Friday – just a few hours after the U.S. Labor Department released its April jobs report showing the largest increase in private-sector job growth in five years – President Obama addressed roughly 750 workers at Allison Transmission Headquarters in Indianapolis. The President spoke about the need to combat the escalating cost of gas and used Allison as an example of the type of company that will develop new technologies, reduce our country’s dependence on oil, and create jobs.

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Recent Action
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing energy efficiency
President Obama signed an Executive Order directing the federal government to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 28 percent by 2020, become more energy efficient, and decrease petroleum consumption.
Protecting public lands and natural habitats
Democrats passed the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act, a sweeping conservation measure that will protect and preserve America’s forests, rivers, oceans, national parks, monuments, and public lands for future generations.
Milestones