Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse made his debut in Congress in 2007. Back then, hopes for congressional action on climate change were high, and multiple proposals for viable carbon legislation were on the table.

But within the last decade, enthusiasm for bipartisan climate solutions has come to a crawl. Corporate dollars have often set the agenda. In March, Marathon Petroleum and other oil and gas companies made out with millions of dollars in tax subsidies and debt relief.

One of the Senate's leading voices on climate tells how the CARES Act bailout of the oil companies came to pass. He shares his inside view of the oil and gas industry's capture of the Republican Party, Obama's premature surrender on climate and why he thinks we’re finally ready for meaningful action on climate.