BURLINGTON, Vt., Jan. 15 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today issued the following statement on President Barack Obama’s decision to halt new federal coal leases on public lands:

“I applaud the president for taking bold action to slow the worst effects of climate change. We have a moral responsibility to leave our kids a planet that is both healthy and habitable. The best way we can do that is by keeping fossil fuels in the ground, which is why I co-sponsored legislation last year with Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) to stop all new fossil fuel leases on public lands.

“But it’s also critical that we protect workers and the communities in which they live as we transition to a clean energy economy. That’s why I introduced legislation to help coal miners and other fossil fuel workers and their families by connecting displaced workers with new job opportunities through vocational education and job skills programs.

“Climate change is real, it is caused by human activity and it is already causing huge devastation across the world. We must continue to boldly take on the Koch brothers and some of the most powerful political forces in the world who are more concerned with short-term profits than the future of the planet.”