Sen. Mike Braun forms climate solutions caucus

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WFIE) - An Indiana senator is taking on a controversial topic in our nation’s capital.

Senator Mike Braun co-formed a climate change caucus in Washington, with the aim of creating constructive bi-partisan talk addressing a warming climate.

Climate change became a popular topic in America over the past year, and largely it’s been democratic lawmakers attempting to take on the issue. Senator Braun says that he wants to change that narrative.

“Democrats have owned this issue, and they are right to bring it up," Braun, a freshman senator from Indiana, said. "Conservative or Liberal the issues are out there.”

“I think when we come together we can find a happy medium to where we reasonably talk about the consequences of the climate warming, and we do things that are practical and affordable," the senator added.

According to Braun, these are issues that he feels passionate and knowledgable on, saying that was interested in conservation and promoting a healthy planet before he was elected to Washington.

“I do believe that when we put CO2 into the air, it creates a greenhouse effect and I think that we’re just maybe starting to see some of those results from it," Senator Braun said.

Along with Delaware Senator Chris Coons, Braun is forming the first-ever bipartisan “Climate Solutions Caucus” in the Senate. The goal, according to Braun, is to bring an equal number of senators from both sides of the aisle to talk about practical solutions to this global crisis.

Senator Braun chairs a subcommittee on clean air and nuclear safety. He said finding ways to fully capture carbon emissions or looking at new fuel sources that emit no carbon are a couple of ways to address climate change.

“There are simple things like reforestation, you know conservation methods, making sure that we attain the cleanest, least expensive fuel in the future and do things that we can start affecting change without disrupting you know what is the best economy that we’ve had since I’ve been out there trying it over three, four decades," Braun said. “When it comes to [the] climate I see the energy industry and the players that are really going to have to change things, interested in actually doing it, and I want to be involved in the process.”

The House of Representatives also has a “Climate Solutions Caucus” with 63 members. According to NBC News, the senate’s caucus will focus on specific policy proposals rather than broad ideas about reform.

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