[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 59 (Wednesday, April 22, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E941-E942]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             EARTH DAY 2009

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 22, 2009

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, Earth Day 2009 marks the 
39th year in which we've set aside a day to reflect upon our solemn 
responsibility to protect the environment from the adverse effects of 
human activity and preserve it for future generations. Earth Day 
reminds us of our nation's obligation to be good stewards of the 
planet--a responsibility both moral and practical, personal and 
collective.
  As individuals, we are learning to assess our ``footprint'' and to 
recognize that the decisions we make on a daily basis--the cars we 
drive, the foods we eat, the energy we consume--must be measured 
against not only our own comfort, but also the sustainability of our 
planet and its limited resources. It is a personal obligation that 
cannot be taken lightly; an ethos that firmly commits each of us to 
passing the great inheritance we have been given to our children in a 
better form than it was given to us.
  As communities, we must reconcile the competing demands of economic 
development with those of responsible stewardship. It's a particular 
challenge in high growth areas like the one I represent. My district, 
the Research Triangle area of North Carolina, has been widely 
recognized as one of the best areas in the country to live, work, raise 
a family, and start a business. It is the fastest growing metro region 
in the country, on track to double in population over the next 20 
years, and the dramatic population expansion will bring significant 
environmental challenges in tow.
  We know that we must grow, and we embrace the economic opportunities 
that such growth presents. But how will we grow? To

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maintain and improve our quality of life in the midst of robust 
expansion and development, we need to undertake a coordinated regional 
planning effort that meets our infrastructure needs white preserving 
livability and sustainability. We must promote not just growth, but 
smart growth.
  That is why I brought our colleague, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, to the 
Triangle this week to help me host a summit on Smart Growth 
Development. He stands as an expert in our body on sustainable 
development, and the summit brought together elected officials, 
business leaders, environmentalists, and community activists for panel 
discussions on smart growth principles and transportation 
infrastructure. I look forward to working with Rep. Blumenauer and my 
other colleagues to develop tools that will encourage smarter growth, 
more responsible development, and greater livability in communities 
across the country.
  And as a nation, we need to pursue policies that promote responsible 
stewardship of the earth here at home while providing responsible 
leadership in the global arena. This Congress has already begun working 
with the Obama Administration to forge a new direction for energy 
policy that will emphasize renewable fuels and energy efficiency.
  Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, we've made an 
unprecedented investment in public transportation and renewable energy 
production that will spur energy savings. This legislation will 
accelerate deployment of a new, smart power grid to make the 
electricity grid more efficient and reliable. They will advance 
scientific research into battery technology and energy efficiency 
measures, expand the national effort to weatherize homes, and make a 
sizeable investment in alternative energy research.
  The recovery package addresses critical transit needs as well, 
investing in buses, commuter and light rail, and intercity passenger 
rail, including Amtrak and high speed rail. Public transportation, 
beyond saving individual Americans both time and money, can also help 
our nation save as much as 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline and reduce 
carbon emissions by 37 million metric tons each year.
  This spending is not simply driven by our commitment to a cleaner and 
healthier planet; rather, it represents a down-payment on investments 
to meet our country's economic and infrastructure needs and a blueprint 
for the direction in which our country's energy and transportation 
policies will go. They are investments that can fuel our future economy 
and make our country more prosperous and competitive than ever before.
  We must think globally as well, and continue to work towards a 
comprehensive solution to dramatically curb our greenhouse gas 
emissions and address the threats of climate change--a threat that our 
government ignored for far too long. I am pleased that House and 
committee leadership have recently released draft legislation that 
would establish a market-based cap and trade policy to serve as a basis 
for discussion of comprehensive clean energy legislation. This is no 
idle threat we now face: scientists tell us that we must reduce 
emissions by roughly 80 percent by mid-century to avoid a dangerous 
climate tipping point. As the world's largest per capita emitter of 
greenhouse gases, our nation must be a leader in finding clean energy 
solutions that reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, create a new 
generation of jobs, and provide climate and energy security for us and 
the generations to come.
  On Earth Day 2009, I urge President Obama to continue working with 
Congress to develop climate change legislation that will set us on a 
path that is science-based and adequately aggressive. I also urge the 
President and my colleagues to foster smart growth in American 
communities by developing policies that promote accessible transit, 
affordable and sustainable housing, and responsible management of water 
and other resources. And I urge us all to take actions in our 
individual lives that reflect our commitment to preserving this 
wondrous planet and all the diverse forms of life that thrive upon it.

                          ____________________