Oklahoma Congressman Markwayne Mullin will have a front-row seat this week as Democrats in the House Energy and Commerce Committee hold their first hearing on global warming.
Rep. Mullin, a Republican from the 2nd district in eastern Oklahoma will be in the minority but will have an opportunity to question those who might testify.
It will be held Feb. 6 and follows the coldest weather in decades for many parts of the country. The cold weather left at least eleven dead.
It will also be the committee’s first hearing on global warming in six years. Democrats have made it clear they want to make global warming a central part of their agenda in 2019 and plan to hold several hearings into the subject. The Energy and Commerce committee will be the first to tackle the subject as Democrats assumed control of the House in January.
“Year after year, politicians have ignored this threat and denied the science. We can’t afford to let them stand in the way any longer,” Democratic New York Rep. Paul Tonko, a subcommittee chair who will head the hearing, said in a video statement released recently.
He also issued a statement on Twitter.
“For everyone who has called on Congress to #ActOnClimate, we hear you. We believe the science, we understand the urgency and we are committed to getting results. Stay tuned.”
The hearing would focus on the “cost of inaction on climate pollution” and “how a just transition to a clean energy economy” would help the economy and environment, Tonko said.
What also remains to be seen is if House Democrats take up calls for a Green New Deal being pushed by New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and several 2020 hopefuls. Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey are set to unveil Green New Deal legislation as soon as this week.