[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 12 (Monday, January 22, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H792-H793]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             GLOBAL WARMING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 4, 2007, the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Madam Speaker, I rise today to talk about 
global warming and our energy future, the epic challenges of our time.
  First, I want to applaud our leader, Speaker  Nancy Pelosi, for 
recognizing the importance of this issue to our children and our 
grandchildren. And I think she is right to put a deadline for the House 
to act.
  Energy independence and global warming are of paramount concern to 
the American people. Most polls show the American people, by 70 to 80 
percent, think these are very serious problems.
  Today, a significant development occurred on this front. In the 
Capitol this morning, the U.S. Climate Action Partnership issued its 
call for action. This group is composed of environmental groups, World 
Resources Institute, NRDC, Environmental Defense, the Pew Center on 
Global Climate Change; industrial giants like Alcoa, BP, Caterpillar, 
Duke Energy and Dupont; and many others, including our power company in 
New Mexico, PNM Resources.
  Listen to what they say in their report: ``We know enough to act on 
climate change.''
  ``The challenge is significant, but the United States can grow and 
prosper in a greenhouse gas constrained world.''
  ``In our view, the climate change challenge will create more economic 
opportunities than risks for the U.S. economy.''
  ``We need a mandatory flexible climate program.''
  This report is significant, because major U.S. companies have stepped 
up to the plate and called for action now. They are optimistic. They 
believe we can get this done. In the 109th Congress, the Udall-Petri 
legislation, H.R. 5042, had most of the components called for by this 
partnership. We will reintroduce it in the 110th and try and capture 
these up-to-date recommendations.
  Udall-Petri stands for immediate action. Our bill is a mandatory cap-
and-trade system that uses the marketplace. It puts a price on carbon 
dioxide emissions. Our bill has a safety valve which balances economic 
losses with emissions reduction achievements. And our bill provides the 
flexibility to unleash American business ingenuity.
  I told the partnership their first agenda item should be to meet with 
President Bush. Their message needs to be heard in the White House. The 
President has called for a voluntary program. While his voluntary 
program has been in place, we have seen no reduction in carbon dioxide 
emissions. In fact, we have seen every year in the 6 years a 2 percent 
increase every year. President Bush should take note of these business 
leaders and let's join together to leave the planet a better place for 
our children and grandchildren.
  Madam Speaker, this morning myself and several Senators and 
Representatives including the Senate Majority Leader Reid and House 
Majority Whip Hoyer had the honor of participating in an unprecedented 
meeting with the CEOs of DuPont, GE, Duke Energy, Lehman Brothers, 
PG&E, FPL Company, Caterpillar, Alcoa, BP America, and PNM Energy from 
my home state of New Mexico, and the heads of the Natural Resources 
Defense Council, the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, Environmental 
Defense, and the World Resources Institute. The United States Climate 
Action Partnership, as this organization of CEOs is named, has 
coalesced around the urgent need to enact a federal global warming 
policy, and to enact it now. I am humbled both by the commitment 
expressed by these leading global corporations and by the enormity and 
importance of the task we here in Congress have before us to craft 
policies to address perhaps the most pressing issue of our generation. 
I applaud them for their leadership and courage on this issue, and I 
look forward to working with them.
  The time for debate about whether or not global warming is real and 
whether or not it is

[[Page H793]]

attributable to human activity on this planet, has passed. America must 
lead the global effort with a national global warming policy. We can no 
longer sit and reap the benefits of fossil fuels without mitigating the 
negative effects they are having on our planet and our way of life. We 
cannot, we must not, leave this one up to our children.
  It is now the moment in time when we must create a policy to address 
global warming. To that end, my good friend and colleague from 
Wisconsin, Mr. Tom Petri, who was also present at the meeting this 
morning, have developed a comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions 
control bill. We introduced the Keep America Competitive Global Warming 
Act during the 109th Congress and are currently making minor changes to 
the legislation for reintroduction in the coming weeks. Our legislation 
will put our country on the path to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, 
while not jeopardizing American competitiveness, American jobs, and the 
American economy.
  The bill is an economy-wide, upstream, cap-and-trade policy that 
covers all greenhouse gas emissions. However, to provide some certainty 
to the economy, the bill provides for an unlimited number of additional 
``safety valve'' allowances. This safety valve provision provides cost-
certainty to industry and will help ensure that this policy will not 
result in economic harm. We believe it is better to have a policy that 
works slowly yet surely rather than one that might prove economically 
unworkable. Many companies, including some who were present at this 
morning's meeting, have expressed the need for a safety valve in any 
mandatory greenhouse emissions control legislation.

  Some of the other key provisions of this legislation include the 
creation of an Advanced Research Projects Agency at the Department of 
Energy to explore the truly out-of-the-box, high-risk, high-payoff 
research that will be necessary if we are to get to a low or no carbon 
dioxide and greenhouse gas world. Technological advancement hold the 
key to the long-term solution of global warming. Our bill also includes 
resources for workers, entities and localities who may be negatively 
impacted by this policy. Also, Madam Speaker, to address concerns about 
American competitiveness, our legislation ensures that the United 
States will not be put at a competitive disadvantage relative to 
developing countries or countries not taking actions comparable to ours 
to stem greenhouse gas emissions.
  Madam Speaker, the message we hear from scientists is clear, we must 
act immediately to stop global warming. We must do so, however, in a 
responsible manner that does not cost American competitiveness and 
American jobs. Mr. Petri will soon be reintroducing our reasonable, 
certain, and efficient global warming legislation. Please join us in 
combating one the most pressing issues facing our country today.

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