Whitehouse dares GOP to discuss carbon pollution

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) challenged Senate Republicans to come to the floor Monday night to debate carbon pollution.

Whitehouse said he has asked Senate leadership to allow the time after Monday night’s vote to be set aside for a “robust” exchange of ideas.

{mosads}“We’ve asked that time after votes next Monday be reserved for us to engage in a robust, bipartisan exchange of views on negative effects of carbon pollution,” Whitehouse said on the Senate floor Wednesday.

Whitehouse’s request comes as Republicans are charging the White House with waging a “war on coal.”

Earlier this week, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would implement a new regulation to reduce power plant carbon emissions by 30 percent in 15 years.

Republicans have said the plan won’t make a difference globally because China and India’s emissions are continuing to increase.

Earlier this year, Whitehouse and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) spent all night debating climate change on the Senate floor in order to bring attention to the issue.