Senator Marco Rubio's eyes are looking toward the White House. But instead, he should be reading up on basic science. Though 97 percent of climate scientists agree that climate change is happening, Sen. Rubio still can't get his facts straight. In May of 2014, he said "I do not believe that human activity is causing these dramatic changes to our climate the way these scientists are portraying it."
But back in 2007 Rubio seemed to believe in the importance of solving climate change, and the scientific evidence has only grown stronger since then. What's also grown since 2007? The amount of money pumped into Rubio's campaign coffers by polluter interests. Since 2009, Rubio has received $281,716 from the oil and gas industry. In 2010, he received more money from the Koch Industries than any other Senate candidate, a whopping $32,200.
It's clear why Koch Industries and other dirty polluters wanted to keep Sen. Rubio in the Senate. Since 2011, he has consistently voted for the polluters and against a safe climate. He has voted to continue making American breathe in mercury and other air toxins, pushed to expand offshore drilling, continued major subsidies to the oil and gas industry, and voted to block the EPA from cleaning up carbon pollution.
Rubio's fossil-fueled voting record is so bad that he has a lifetime score of only 11 percent from the League of Conservation Voters. And, no surprise, - his largest campaign contributor is the Club for Growth, a major force in conservative politics with strong ties to the Koch Brothers and their network of pro-pollution donors. Not only that, Sen. Rubio was specially selected to be 1 of only 2 Senators to speak at the Koch Brothers' 2014 annual summit of conservative billionaires.
Our advice: Instead of listening to the interests of wealthy polluters, Sen. Rubio should be listening to the nearly 8 in 10 Florida voters who want to see limits on carbon pollution from power plants. Though, absent action, rising sea levels from a warming planet will eventually put many of his Florida constituents under water, it is Senator Marco Rubio who is all wet.