Washington, D.C. – Tonight, the Republican presidential candidates met for a debate in Miami, where both Sen. Rubio and Gov. Kasich were asked about their stances on climate change. In response, LCV National Press Secretary Seth Stein issued the following statement:

“Tonight, Marco Rubio essentially told the people of Florida – who are already experiencing the impacts of climate change – that he will throw his hands in the air when confronted with this critical issue and back up the big polluters who fund his campaign. When asked about climate change, Marco Rubio doubled-down on his climate change denialism, falling back on the tired claim that the climate is always changing. Not only did he falsely claim that other countries are not acting on climate, ignoring the Paris climate agreement, but he completely misrepresented the benefits of the Clean Power Plan, which will protect public health, grow the economy, and create jobs. Unfortunately, Gov. Kasich was little better, willfully ignoring the scientific consensus that human activity is the driving contributor to on climate change and repeating the widely discredited claim that ‘clean coal’ is possible or realistic, while advocating an all-of-the-above energy strategy that ultimately benefits dirty fossil fuels.”

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Paid for by the League of Conservation Voters, www.lcv.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.