[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 85 (Thursday, May 22, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4803-S4805]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BARRASSO:
  S. 3071. A bill to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to 
temporarily prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from considering 
global climate change as a natural or manmade factor in determining 
whether a species is a threatened or endangered species, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, today I am introducing legislation to 
address the reality of the needs of species and the global nature of 
climate change.
  Recently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided to list the 
polar bear as a threatened species. The reason for the listing is the 
loss of sea ice habitat. They say the ice will be subjected to 
``increased temperatures, earlier melt periods, increased rain-snow 
events, and shifts in atmospheric and marine surface patterns.'' 
Essentially, they are saying it is due to the effects of global climate 
change.
  Without the cooperation of other countries, the United States cannot 
reverse global climate change. If we are truly going to recover 
species--species that are being impacted by climate change--we would 
need to have an international agreement in place, an international 
agreement among all of the major emitting countries. All of those 
countries would have to comply with the treaty in order for species to 
receive any tangible environmental benefit. This is what people who 
care about the polar bear need to see happen.
  Unfortunately, global warming activists are looking to the U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service and to the Endangered Species Act as a means for 
widespread regulation. This would be a complete departure from the 
intent of the law.
  The Secretary of Interior, Secretary Kempthorne, has stated that he 
is providing additional guidance to ensure that there are no negative, 
unintended consequences to the legislation.
  Unfortunately, such guidance will likely not survive judicial 
challenge or perhaps even the next administration.
  For the first time ever, lawsuits could be filed to block economic 
growth and the creation of jobs all across America.
  It has been suggested that any economic activity that emits 
greenhouse gases which then contributes to global warming and to the 
melting of the polar icecaps must be stopped. Why? Because it might 
cause polar bears to become extinct.
  Think about that for a minute: Buildings could not be expanded or 
built; new roads could not be built or improved; local governments 
would be forced up to adopt onerous new zoning requirements; energy 
development projects would be brought to a standstill; and virtually 
any economic development activity one can think of could be challenged 
by anyone. Volumes of new rules and regulations from Washington, DC, 
would control everything we do.
  This action would harm individual freedom, would raise energy costs, 
and would affect consumers across the board in all 50 States. This 
action would dramatically hurt our economy.
  Frankly, when I see groups publicly stating that they intend to use 
the polar bear listing as a hammer to stop fossil fuel use, such as 
even driving your car to work, I am skeptical about their real concern 
for the polar bear.
  In a recent Baltimore Sun article, the Center for Biological 
Diversity said:

       Once protection for the polar bear is finalized, federal 
     agencies and other large greenhouse gas emitters will be 
     required by law to ensure that their emissions do not 
     jeopardize the species.

  Some want to limit how much we drive or how we heat our homes. 
Wyoming residents and Americans in general do not believe in such a 
culture of limits. That is perhaps why activists need to use and choose 
to use the courts to impose them.
  We can provide cleaner cars and be more efficient in heating our 
homes, but there is a line of individual liberty and personal choice 
that we should not cross.
  Yes, we are all concerned about protecting the environment, and as a 
Senator, I am also concerned about placing dramatic burdens on our 
economy and on our American citizens.
  Very soon, without legislative action by Congress, the Endangered 
Species Act will be transformed from a tool to recover species into a 
climate change bill. This will not only shortchange truly endangered 
species, it will also impact working families who are already 
struggling with high energy bills.
  The beneficiaries will not be the polar bears. Instead, it will be 
environmental lawyers who will reap the financial windfall through 
endless lawsuits.
  That is why today I have introduced legislation that says that the 
Secretary of Interior cannot consider global climate change as a 
natural or a manmade factor in terms of listing species as endangered. 
Under this bill, no species would be listed as threatened and 
endangered because of global warming until an international agreement 
is signed by all the major emitting nations.
  The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency would have 
to certify that such an agreement is in place and that countries are in 
compliance with the treaty for such a listing to occur. This bill 
specifies that China and India would both have to be part of the 
agreement.
  This is not designed to give the power of legislating or listing 
species into the hands of foreign nations. The bottom line is, species 
will not receive the help they need until other countries comply. Plain 
and simple. To assert otherwise is to give false hope that those who 
care most about protecting species actually get protection.
  We do not need symbolic gestures in addressing climate change. While 
the symbolism may appease some, it does not address the very real 
impact of ordinary folks in my home State of Wyoming or anywhere across 
the Nation.

[[Page S4805]]

We are saddled with high gas prices and high energy prices already.
  Lawsuits blocking any new coal-fired powerplants can wreak havoc on 
Wyoming's economy before we have had a chance to finish developing the 
clean coal technologies of the 21st century. Clean coal technologies 
truly will address climate change.
  Mr. President, all regions that depend on coal, particularly the 
Midwest, the South, and the Rocky Mountain West, would be the hardest 
hit. But we need real solutions to address species issues, while at the 
same time ensuring that we protect working Americans.
  You want to drive your family to the beach or drive them to the 
mountains? Don't be surprised that in the not too distant future you 
need to get a government permit to do so.
  I urge all Members of this body to consider cosponsoring this 
important bill.
                                 F_____
                                 
      By Mr. CORNYN (for himself, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Allard, Mr. Craig, 
        Mrs. Dole, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Ensign, Mr. Martinez, 
        Mr. Grassley, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Bunning, Mr. Kyl, 
        Mrs. Hutchison, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Coburn, Mr. Coleman, 
        Mr. Isakson, Mr. Bond, Mr. Lugar, and Mr. Thune):
  S. 3073. A bill to amend the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee 
Voting Act to improve procedures for the collection and delivery of 
absentee ballots of absent overseas uniformed services voters, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, the right to participate in democratic 
elections and vote for candidates of your choice is fundamental to the 
American experience. That right to vote is safeguarded by our men and 
women in uniform, often at great personal cost to them and their loved 
ones.
  As the Global War on Terror continues, the need for overseas service 
by our troops is unlikely to let up any time soon. They routinely find 
themselves deployed to far-away battlefields in the Middle East, on 
ships at sea all across the globe, or assigned to overseas postings in 
Korea, Europe, or elsewhere.
  What's more, the decisions of elected leaders of the Federal 
Government impact our troops often in a very direct and personal way. 
As a result of decisions made by those elected leaders, our troops can 
be called to deploy to a combat zone at virtually any time.
  Statistics on overseas military voting in the 2006 election, compiled 
by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, show that there is clearly 
a problem of disenfranchisement of our troops. It is absolutely 
despicable that, of our overseas troops who asked for mail-in ballots 
for 2006, less than half, 47.6, percent of their completed ballots 
actually arrived at the local election office. Many of those arrived 
too late, and were therefore not even counted.
  To me, that is an appalling failure of our current absentee voting 
system. We need to take action now, before the problem rears its ugly 
head again, to safeguard the right of our troops to vote and have their 
votes count.
  I believe Congress has a duty to ensure these men and women in 
uniform, selflessly serving abroad, have a voice in choosing their 
elected leaders. They serve not only in the defense of freedom and the 
American way of life, but also in defense of the very system of 
government in which I and my Senate colleagues have the honor to serve.
  These military service members have already given up so much for this 
country--often being apart from their families, living in the face of 
constant danger, and standing on the front lines of our defense. We 
must not allow one of their most fundamental rights as Americans to 
fall victim to an antiquated and inefficient system of absentee voting 
and slow--sometimes painfully slow--methods of delivering their marked 
ballots.
  One of the biggest problems in absentee balloting for our overseas 
troops has been this inadequate delivery system for completed ballots.
  The simple fact is that, for many overseas military voters, their 
marked ballots arrived at the local election office too late to be 
counted. There is no excuse for allowing inefficiency to disenfranchise 
our military men and women serving abroad.
  That is why I have decided to introduce the Military Voting 
Protection Act of 2008, or MVP Act. This bill will improve the absentee 
voting system for our overseas troops by expediting the delivery of 
their marked ballots to ensure they are delivered in a timely manner 
and, at the same time, electronically tracked to provide accountability 
and allow for verification that completed ballots actually arrived at 
their local election office.
  First and foremost, this bill would expedite the process by directing 
the Pentagon to make use of express delivery services, which many of us 
use on a regular basis, to get the completed absentee ballots of our 
overseas troops to election officials here at home. At the same time, 
it would require the DOD to take a more active role in organizing the 
collection, transportation, and tracking of these ballots.
  We have at our disposal the tools necessary to more efficiently 
collect and deliver our troops' ballots to help make their votes count. 
We simply need to start utilizing more capable and expedited delivery 
methods to ensure that our troops' voices are heard.
  This bill also urges the DOD to make better use of modern technology 
to improve the ability of our troops to participate in elections. At 
the same time, the bill recognizes the clear importance of preserving 
the privacy and integrity of the voting system by calling on DOD to 
focus its efforts on secure, efficient systems that would also achieve 
these important goals.
  In this day and age, it is inexcusable for our troops to be shut out 
of the democratic process merely because they are far away from their 
homes as a result of their military service. We should not sit idly by 
and watch another election pass with a large portion of our brave 
military men and women being left out of our democratic process.
  For far too long in this country we have failed to adequately 
safeguard the right of our troops to participate in our democratic 
process. We have allowed slow delivery methods, confusing absentee 
voting procedures, and myriad other obstacles to disenfranchise many of 
our overseas troops. We must put those days behind us.
  I urge all of my colleagues to join me in addressing this important 
issue and protecting for our troops the very rights they fight to 
safeguard for us. Join me in cosponsoring the MVP Act. I look forward 
to working with my colleagues to pass this important bill quickly.

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