Today, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) will hold a roundtable discussion with local environmental advocates and researchers in Milford to gather input for his bipartisan Super Pollutants Act of 2014, which he announced last week with U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine).
This is the first major bipartisan piece of climate legislation introduced in the Senate this year, officials said. The proposed legislation will reduce pollutants in the atmosphere by enabling federal agencies to work with businesses and non-profits to adopt pollutant-reducing technologies and policies.
“Short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), referred to as “super pollutants,” are non-carbon dioxide greenhouse pollutants that cause up to 40% of the warming effect in the atmosphere,” states a press release issued by Murphy’s office. “SLCPs range from methane that is leaked by landfills and oil and gas exploration, to refrigerants leaking from refrigerators and air conditioners, to soot from diesel engines and millions of traditional cookstoves all over the developing world. Studies show that fast action to reduce SLCPs in the atmosphere could cut the rate of sea level rise by 25%.”
The roundtable discussion will take place today, Wednesday, July 2, at 1:30 p.m. at the Parsons Government Building.