White House: GOP Senate won’t stop Obama on climate

President Obama will continue to take action on policies to fight climate change whether or not Republicans take control of the Senate, the White House said.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters Tuesday that Obama plans to keep using his executive powers to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change.

{mosads}“There are too many Republicans in Congress who even deny the basic scientific fact that climate change is occurring and something that policymakers should be concerned about,” Earnest said.

“So the president will use his executive action to take some additional steps.”

Earnest’s remarks on climate change were part of a statement on what Obama hopes to accomplish during his last two years in office amid continuing partisan gridlock in Congress, which will persist whether or not Republicans win a majority of the Senate Tuesday.

In addition to executive actions, Obama wants to make sure future presidents and lawmakers can institute more policies to fight climate change.

“He’s also going to continue to talk about this issue in a way that lays the groundwork for action by future presidents and future Congresses,” Earnest said.

The Obama administration has previously said that its climate agenda includes a number of new or updated regulations.

For example, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to finalize next year carbon emissions limits for both new and existing power plants and new restrictions on trucks’ pollution.

It’s also working on emissions rules for oil refiners and potential methods to reduce methane emissions from natural gas production, transportation and use. Meanwhile, numerous federal agencies are working to increase the use of renewable energy.