By Richard Salit
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is leading an effort to create a joint House-Senate task force on climate change.
Whitehouse joined U.S. Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA) early Thursday to announce that they willl co-chair the task force. They noted that President Obama, in his inaugural address, stated that failing to respond to the threat of climate change would "betray our children and future generations."
"Carbon pollution is wreaking havoc on our atmosphere and on our oceans, and it's time to bring all hands on deck as we seek to meet that challenge," Whitehouse said in a statement.
Whitehouse, Waxman and Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) sent a letter to Obama urging him to quickly develop a comprehensive climate change plan.