http://www.epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Majority.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=2ef9ffe0-06b3-3078-2b07-3e46adc4f543&Region_id=&Issue_id=

MONDAY ALL NIGHT: Senators Speaking All Night to Urge Action on Climate Change
March 7, 2014

Washington, DC - Immediately following votes on the evening of Monday, March 10 until approximately 9 am ET Tuesday, March 11, Senators from the Senate Climate Action Task Force will be holding the Senate floor to urge action on climate change. A significant number of Senators are expected to participate throughout the night.

"Climate change is real, it is caused by humans, and it is solvable," said Senator Schatz. "Congress must act. On Monday night we're going to show the growing number of Senators who are committed to working together to confront climate change."

Senator Boxer said: "So many Senators coming together for an all-night session shows our commitment to wake up Congress to the dangers of climate change. All you have to do is look at China to see what happens to your country when you throw the environment under the bus."

"The cost of Congress' inaction on climate change is too high for our communities, our kids and grandkids, and our economy," Senator Whitehouse said. "On Monday we'll be sending a clear message: it's time for Congress to wake up and get serious about addressing this issue."

Senators expected to participate include:

Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill.
Senator Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.
Senator Patty Murray, D-Wash.
Senator Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.
Senator Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.
Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore.
Senator Bill Nelson, D-Fla.
Senator Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.
Senator Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md.
Senator Bernard Sanders, I-Vt.
Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.
Senator Mark Udall, D-Colo.
Senator Tom Udall, D-N.M.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.
Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.
Senator Al Franken, D-Minn.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.
Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn.
Senator Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.
Senator Angus King, I-Maine
Senator Tim Kaine, D-Va.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
Senator Edward J. Markey, D-Mass.
Senator Cory Booker, D-N.J.

Senators will be actively participating on social media as well throughout the night - using the hashtag #Up4Climate.

http://www.salon.com/2014/03/10/fracking’s_new_backlash_how_supporting_it_now_exacts_a_real_political_price/

MONDAY, MAR 10, 2014 12:01 PM EDT
Fracking’s new backlash: How supporting it now exacts a real political price
The latest example: As a popular Dem governor politicks at his party convention, he runs into unexpected turbulence
DAVID DAYEN

The California Democratic Party convention is normally a pre-scripted affair, where the press gets copies of the speeches in advance and writes their stories before the politicians deliver them. However, this weekend’s convention in Los Angeles exploded into an unusually vocal battle over fracking, revealing tensions between the elected leadership and the party rank-and-file.

Similar debates have played out among Democrats across the country, with activists no longer allowing establishment figures to talk about stopping climate change out of one side of their mouth and support what they see as a devastating attack on the climate with the other.

<>

Politicians, and not just Democrats in California but across the country, have a choice to make. They can continue an unholy alliance with the oil industry, trading environmental stability for a promise of jobs, and hiding behind rhetoric about stopping climate change while allowing fracking to flourish. Or they can listen to increasing unrest among the public, and align their stated desire to protect the planet with their actions.

Barack Obama ?@BarackObama 1h
30 senators are staying #Up4Climate with all-night speeches on the Senate floor tonight: http://ofa.bo/tDw

The White House ?@WhiteHouse 18m
RT if you agree: For the sake of our kids & the future of our planet, it's time to #ActOnClimate change. #Up4Climate pic.twitter.com/wCJHkCMtXV

[img][/img]

http://earthjustice.org/news/press/2014/senators-pull-off-all-nighter-for-climate-action-up4climate

Senators Pull Off All-Nighter for Climate Action #Up4Climate

Earthjustice statement on all-night Senate climate change speeches
MARCH 11, 2014

WASHINGTON, D.C. — — Last night a group of 30 Senators stayed up all night delivering speeches to bring attention to the need for climate action. The Senators began their evening of climate speeches at 6:30 p.m. ET on March 10 and concluded at 9 a.m. ET on March 11. In the 14 hours of #Up4Climate speeches, the Senators discussed climate science, shared stories of climate change impacts on their home states, and stressed solutions and the need to apply American ingenuity and innovation to the problem of climate change.
The following is a statement from Earthjustice Senior Legislative Representative Sarah Saylor:

"We are very grateful that a majority of the Democrats in the U.S. Senate took to the floor throughout the night to highlight the need for action to combat climate change. In particular, we thank those Senators who initiated the #Up4Climate effort, Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI), Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA).

“As we know, every day power plants dump carbon pollution into our atmosphere without limit. That is counter to the purposes of the Clean Air Act, which has proven an effective tool for reducing air pollution.

“The Environmental Protection Agency is currently working on common sense safeguards under current law to keep carbon pollution in check. However, last week, the House of Representatives voted against the steps that the Environmental Protection Agency is taking to cut carbon pollution.

“We are glad to see the Senate is poised to reject that backward-looking approach and instead work toward meeting our shared obligation to future generations to cut carbon pollution and protect our planet."

The following Senators participated:

Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. (@SenateDems & @SenatorReid)
Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill. (@SenatorDurbin)
Senator Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. (@SenSchumer)
Senator Patty Murray, D-Wash. (@PattyMurray)
Senator Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii (@BrianSchatz)
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I. (@SenWhitehouse)
Senator Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. (@EPWChairBoxer)
Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. (@SenFeinstein)
Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore. (@RonWyden)
Senator Jack Reed, D-R.I. (@SenJackReed)
Senator Bill Nelson, D-Fla. (@SenBillNelson)
Senator Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. (@CantwellPress)
Senator Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md. (@SenatorCardin)
Senator Bernard Sanders, I-Vt. (@SenSanders)
Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. (@AmyKlobuchar)
Senator Mark Udall, D-Colo. (@MarkUdall)
Senator Tom Udall, D-N.M. (@SenatorTomUdall)
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. (@SenatorShaheen)
Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. (@SenJeffMerkley)
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. (@SenGillibrand)
Senator Al Franken, D-Minn. (@FrankenCommTeam)
Senator Chris Coons, D-Del. (@SenCoonsOffice)
Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. (@SenBlumenthal)
Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn. (@ChrisMurphyCT)
Senator Martin Heinrich, D-N.M. (@MartinHeinrich)
Senator Angus King, I-Maine (@SenAngusKing)
Senator Tim Kaine, D-Va. (@SenKaineOffice)
Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. (@SenWarren)
Senator Edward J. Markey, D-Mass. (@MarkeyMemo)
Senator Cory Booker, D-N.J. (@CoryBooker & @SenBookerOfc)