[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 60 (Thursday, April 23, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H4722-H4726]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THE PROGRESSIVE MESSAGE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 2009, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Ellison) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. ELLISON. I am here with the Progressive Caucus, that caucus that 
brings to the people of the United States every week a progressive 
vision for America.
  I am very honored to be joined by our Chair tonight, the only one who 
continues to fight week in week out every day for peace in our world 
who has the longest running record of 5-minute speeches for peace, Lynn 
Woolsey.
  Let me yield to the gentlelady for a welcome this evening.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Thank you, Mr. Ellison, for your great leadership on The 
Progressive Message, which is the message of average, normal American 
people, and we know it. And we are proud to speak it, because there is 
nothing like the issues that we stand for with the Progressive Caucus, 
our progressive promise, that hits home to the American people like 
what we are promising to work on.
  Tonight, we are going to talk about our Earth, I believe. Thank you 
for bringing that to us.
  But also thank you for recognizing my, I believe, 309 5-minute 
speeches on the floor regarding Iraq and peace in general, and 
Afghanistan, now that we are looking like we don't know when we are 
going to get out of there.
  We can talk about saving the Earth, but if we destroy it with war, 
then we won't have an Earth to save. So thank you for doing this 
tonight.
  Mr. ELLISON. Thank you. Let me just say that you are right. And I do 
want to commend you, I don't know if anyone has a longer running number 
of 5-minute speeches on any issue than you do, so I am proud to know 
that the longest-running series of 5-minute speeches is on the subject 
of peace, is on the subject of Iraq, and is by a dedicated and 
progressive leader such as yourself.
  Madam Speaker, we want to welcome folks to The Progressive Message 
and let people know that they can always plug into the Progressive 
Caucus. The e-mail address is cpc.grijalva.house.gov where people, I 
hope, will communicate. It's very important that we stay in touch and 
that this is The Progressive Message.
  Tonight, you are right, the subject is clean energy jobs and our 
Earth. Let's start out with just a few basics.
  The progressive energy policy, global climate change and green jobs, 
has to be made up of a few essential components. The fact is that U.S. 
energy policy is everyone's business.
  U.S. energy policy touches nearly every aspect of American life, our 
homes, our natural environment and, most importantly, our economy and 
the Earth itself.
  Last year Americans spent $400 billion buying oil outside of the 
United States. This is a tremendous expenditure on our economy and 
sends dollars outside of our economy. And that means that last year 
American families spent about $3,000 apiece on fossil fuels that 
contribute to the disastrous changes in our global climate.
  I think it's important to point out that we are here now, we are 
approaching the first 100 days of the new administration. Haven't been 
here long, but we have been here strong. There is no doubt that energy 
policy will be a major component of the next 2 years, and it's critical 
to point out that the Democratic Caucus and the Progressive Caucus are 
here to lead the way on this discussion.
  I would like to stay positive, but we have to make sure that we have 
a good record, and the record requires that we revisit some of the 
things that have been proposed over the last 8 years that have not been 
so good.
  One, the Republican plan has not been a good plan. This plan, people 
contend, that efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions are perilous and 
will

[[Page H4723]]

cause undue hardship for Americans in the midst of a recession. The 
fact is if we don't do something about this global crisis, greenhouse 
gas emissions, we are all going to be in much more trouble than we are 
right now.
  Right now, in fact, is a good time to deal with the crisis in our 
economy. It's a chance to rebuild, it's a chance to strengthen, it's a 
time to invest in infrastructure.
  I think, Chairwoman Woolsey, it's just a good time to point out that 
it was during the Civil War that Abraham Lincoln made the decision we 
are going to have a railroad span the United States. It was during the 
1930s, the Depression, that we saw rural electrification be a major 
commitment of the United States Government under Franklin Delano 
Roosevelt. It was under Eisenhower, a recession, where we talked about 
the interstate highway system that we now enjoy today.
  In fact, at times like this, it's no time to shrink, no time to be 
afraid, but it's a time to be bold. Let's not go for any naysayers or 
fearmongers; let's move forward.
  Is this a time to be bold, is this a time to shrink and be afraid, or 
is it a time to be bold and grab on to a new energy policy?
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Well, first of all, Madam Speaker, thank you for being 
here with us tonight also. We honor you.
  You know, as cochair of the congressional Progressive Caucus with 
Raul Grijalva, it's really an honor to be here and represent the 
Progressive Caucus and people of this country and the people of my 
district.
  And we are doing this right now because it's Earth Day--yesterday was 
Earth Day, I believe, but we couldn't do this yesterday.
  So before we get into the question you asked me, Congressman, let's 
talk about Earth Day and how it happened. I think it's good for people 
to remember that Earth Day is a day designed to promote awareness and 
foster appreciation for our environment.

                              {time}  1500

  Now, yesterday, yes, that is right, it was yesterday, it was the 29th 
anniversary of the very first celebration. That celebration was 
determined, and over the 29 years we have recognized on Earth Day 
something that we should be recognizing every single day and every 
minute of our lives, that we have a need for a healthy environment and 
we have to work to protect it. It won't happen on its own because we 
are working very hard, it appears, to destroy our environment. So we 
have a lot of work to do.
  So, let's talk about what are the roots of Earth Day itself. Although 
the specific day was set by former U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of 
Wisconsin, his motivation came from the horrific oil spill that 
engulfed Santa Barbara and the California coast in 1969. That was such 
a horrible experience for all of us in California. Earth Day is the 
perfect time, and he knew it, to highlight that event and to work to 
ensure that oil spills never happened again. Of course, over 29 years 
there have been other oil spills, but he was so sincere that he put 
Earth Day together to emphasize no more oil spills.
  So many in our country who don't have a strong connection to Santa 
Barbara oil knew how important it was to California, and they come to 
our districts and they learn over and over again what a disaster like 
that will do. And it could happen in their areas too. It could happen 
on the Great Lakes. It certainly could happen on the Atlantic coast, 
down in the Gulf of Florida.
  So everybody pays attention, particularly to the oceans. But there is 
more to Earth Day than our oceans. It is our air, it is our water, it 
is our trees, and Earth Day has become the basis for what we know we 
must be doing to solve global warming.
  But happy birthday Earth Day yesterday.
  Mr. ELLISON. I thank the gentlelady for that important recognition. 
In fact, it is our appreciation and gratitude for this beautiful Earth 
that we live on that drives our dedication. We are not really here from 
the Progressive Caucus talking about what we are against. We are 
talking about what we are for. And we are for a clean Earth, in which 
everyone can breathe, can drink, can live and enjoy this wonderful 
planet that we have, and not just human beings, but all creation. I 
think it is very important that you set us on the right trajectory for 
that.
  I think as we are looking back and remembering this 29th anniversary 
of Earth Day, it is important to remember that the course of action we 
have been following has not been one that has been helpful. In fact, it 
has brought us to a very difficult situation.
  We have seen the energy plan over the last 8 years essentially be 
made up of tax breaks for oil companies. ``Drill, drill, drill,'' 
remember that one?
  Ms. WOOLSEY. I remember that one.
  Mr. ELLISON. Yes, you had better believe we heard that one, which 
resulted in more pollution which taxpayers have to clean up, and no 
fundamental investment in a green energy economy like the investment we 
have been talking about, the investment in an Earth Day to commemorate 
and rededicate our commitment, the investment in our economy over the 
centuries, as progressive leaders like Lincoln and FDR made those 
important investments I referred to a moment ago. There has been no 
investment in a green energy economy, that will lessen our dependence 
on oil and reduce global climate change, and, perhaps most importantly, 
create jobs.
  You know, Earth Day, Earth Day is a wonderful time to have this 
conversation about American clean energy jobs, because Earth Day is not 
simply about fighting pollution. It is also about enhancing our natural 
world and our existence in it. It is about development along the lines 
that are smart and green, clean and renewable. We can do both.
  I will say that I do appreciate some of our Republican colleagues, 
and I respect them all and enjoy them a lot, but I think it is 
important to point out that their vision was on display on ``Sunday 
Morning Talk'' when one of the Republican leaders said that he 
dismissed as ``almost comical'' the idea that carbon dioxide is a 
carcinogen and that it is harmful to our environment. The proof and 
evidence was that, you know, that carbon dioxide must be safe because 
humans exhale it and cows deposit it. That is not a definition of 
whether it is a carcinogen or a harmful substance. Of course, we do 
have a science gap, and we can do an hour on that.
  But I think it is important to point out that we are not only in 
commemoration of Earth Day talking about fighting pollution; we are 
talking about enhancing our world, our green planet, the only one we 
have, by the way. And, again, as you know very well, the gentlelady 
from California knows, our Chair of the Progressive Caucus, if we 
acidify our oceans and if we overheat our planet, the planet will still 
continue to exist. We just won't be able to live on it. So that is very 
important to point out.
  I think the Progressive plan, and I want to hand it back to the 
gentlelady right now, is to talk about the importance of a progressive 
vision for energy policy. I would ask the gentlelady from California, 
do you believe we need a progressive vision for a progressive energy 
policy?
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Well, we need nothing less than a progressive vision. We 
need to be bold. You asked me that a little bit earlier. And there is 
no tip-toeing around this.
  I have been on the House Science Committee since I was elected in 
1992, sworn in in 1993. I am on the Energy Subcommittee. And in my time 
here we have never had a hearing with scientists that say global 
warming does not exist, that it is a dream, that it is a myth. Good 
science has proven where we are today.
  Scientists have been so careful, because that is who they are. They 
have to prove their point before they come out and say science says 
global warming is something we have to deal with or else, and we have 
got this much more time and we need to take these kinds of actions.
  Mr. ELLISON. If the gentlelady will yield for a question, you have a 
lot of experience in Congress. You have been here for a little while, 
right?
  Ms. WOOLSEY. This is my ninth term.
  Mr. ELLISON. Ninth term, that means 18 years. In all the time you 
have been here on this committee, have you ever heard any credible 
scientist say that global warming does not exist

[[Page H4724]]

or that human beings are not contributing to global warming? Have you 
ever heard anything like that?
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Never. Never. I have heard Members on the other side of 
the aisle on the Science Committee saying that global warming is a myth 
and pooh-poohing it. It is just something that makes no sense to me, 
because it is real, and if we don't do something about it soon, the 
effects are going to be irreversible, and we know that.
  Now, here in Congress we get elected every 2 years. Well, we are not 
going to fix this in 2 years, but we had better start fixing it for our 
grandchildren. I have five grandchildren, the oldest is 9 and the 
youngest is 2.
  I have four children, and three families have children. So one night 
one of the families and I were having dinner and we were talking about 
global warming, and my grandson, then I believe he was 8, he might have 
been 7, just about came across the table. My grandkids call me 
``Amah,'' and he said, ``Amah,'' his eyes were this big, ``do you know 
about the polar bears?'' And we had a total conversation about what was 
happening up in Greenland.
  Since then I have been to Greenland. I have seen the ice melt. It is 
not healthy. I have been to the South Pole. I have seen the shift at 
the South Pole of the science stations, the ones that are built out of 
ice. They shift every year, and they are shifting at greater speeds. I 
have seen the penguins that are having a hard time getting from their 
ice blocks back to land so that they can feed and breed. It is 
happening, and we cannot deny it. Not just for us, because we are 
stupid if we don't do it, but for your children and for my 
grandchildren. Hopefully, their children will have a nice, clean, safe 
world to live in.
  So do we have to be bold? Does it need to be progressive? Yes. And I 
don't mean progressive that it is our way or no way. I mean progressive 
in that we are not afraid to do the right thing. We are not afraid to 
fight. So that we if we have cap-and-trade, we also ensure that we have 
benefits for the people that are going to be paying for this in the 
long run, and that we reinvest in alternative energies, that we know 
that we have an industry, a green industry that must be the new 
industry for the United States of America. Because if we don't take 
advantage of the needs, world needs, that it is going to be our 
science, it is going to be our engineers, it is going to be our 
technicians that come up with the solutions, if we let the jobs to put 
all this together go overseas, what a mistake we will be making, 
because we will buy this stuff, because we are going to make our world 
cleaner.
  Mr. ELLISON. Well, if the gentlelady will yield back, let me say that 
part of the progressive vision is to implement provisions of a 
renewable electricity standard which will create over 300,000 jobs, 
implement an energy efficient resource standard so we can get energy 
savings to create over 222,000 new jobs by 2020. By cutting waste, we 
save money. The renewable electricity standard alone will result in 
nearly $100 billion in savings for consumers and businesses by 2030. 
Efficiency savings, the energy efficiency resource standard will result 
in nearly $170 billion in utility bill savings by 2020.
  Opponents of that change that Americans are demanding are not going 
to be the ones who are remembered finally by history. The ones who 
oppose efficiency and renewable energy, these are the same folks who 
are in danger of directing U.S. energy policy. They have ignored global 
climate change, as you and I have talked about. They have ignored 
acidification of the ocean, overheating of our planet. They have 
widened tax loopholes for polluting industries and they have made 
minimal advances in new, clean energy techniques.
  Madam Speaker, the will of the American public is being represented 
in Congress and the White House now, and we need the American people to 
continue to demand responsible energy policy, climate change policy 
that creates jobs and cannot be outsourced. As the gentlelady from 
California, Lynn Woolsey, was just talking about, somebody will come up 
with the great ideas to green our world. Will they be here? Only if we 
make the proper investments. Only if we become innovative and maintain 
our position as innovator.
  I yield back to the gentlelady.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Well, you know, I have to confess that I have lived a 
very privileged life as I raised my four kids in a nice home. It wasn't 
a palace or a mansion or anything, but it was nice. We were always warm 
and we had windows open and we had a sprinkler system in my yard.
  I feel like I have been part of the problem. I know I have. We eat 
meat, which uses up so much of our good Earth and our air, and we will 
probably keep doing a lot of that. But as individuals, as humans, we 
have to change the way we live and we have to be willing to invest. And 
I believe, and we are not supposed to use the word, but we have to get 
a little accustomed to some sacrifice. We need to decide whether we 
need grass or we need landscaping that survives on little or no water. 
We have to make these decisions ourselves.
  And I don't think we should all have to get incentives to do this. I 
think that the incentives need to go to industry so they will build the 
big products, so they will build the solar systems, the wind systems. 
In our district, we have geothermal, and we need to help in all those 
areas.
  So as individuals some sacrifice will come along. Mostly that 
sacrifice will be changing the way we do things. That is hard. Nobody 
likes to change. But we change now, or it will be too late.
  Mr. ELLISON. Well, I would point out though that the sacrifices that 
you are referring to are not always just giving up something. Sometimes 
these sacrifices involve getting something.
  For example, let's just say if you were to get out of that habit of 
driving three blocks to the grocery store, you might view that as a 
sacrifice, but you will save money on gas and you will reduce your 
waistline.

                              {time}  1515

  Mr. ELLISON. If you ride a bike to work, and we promote, as Congress, 
if we promote nonmotorized transportation, this will reduce our 
obesity, increase our green and renewable program. Some of these things 
are things that we think of as a sacrifice but really are not.
  If we shut off the television, you know, we might talk to each other 
and get to know each other a little bit better. If we just pull the 
plugs out when we leave the house, we can get rid of that ghost energy 
drain that steals energy when we're not even using these appliances.
  So these are just changes that you're speaking of that will 
definitely enhance our quality of life.
  But I want to mention that we have a bill called the American Clean 
Energy and Security Act which does do some very important things. It 
creates jobs that cannot be shipped overseas. It reduces our dependence 
on foreign oil, increases production of clean and renewable energy 
sources, cracks down on heavy polluters, and gives American 
entrepreneurs and innovators, as you mentioned your role on the Science 
Committee, what they need to stay competitive in the global economy.
  The fact is that this bill, this ACES bill, invests in American jobs, 
reduces our dependency on foreign oil and does a lot of important 
things that we need, as Americans. And so I'm thinking that, you know, 
it's important that citizens, individuals like you and I, do better. 
But it's also important that the Congress take action. Individual 
citizens, pull those plugs out, walk, do things, do more walking, 
riding your bike, doing things like that. But also, we have, as a 
Congress, a societal responsibility that we cannot just relegate to the 
individual citizen. In fact, government often will signal better 
behavior and more green and renewable and Earth-friendly behavior that 
citizens can partake of.
  So I yield back to the gentlelady.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Actually, one of the things, under Jim Oberstar's 
leadership, he is the Chair of the Transportation Authorization 
Committee, under his tutelage, we have invested a lot in nonmotorized 
transportation, because it's hard to ask the children to walk to school 
when their roadways are full of cars and there are no sidewalks. It's 
hard to ask people to ride bicycles when there are no safe bicycle 
paths.
  Actually, Marin County, in my district, is one of the model programs 
in his program, and it's certainly proving itself out. You know, 
California gets a

[[Page H4725]]

lot of criticism because we use a lot of energy. But, you know, per 
capita we use less than any other State in the country, and that's 
because we actually get conservation and we live conservation. We 
actually, in most areas, walk our talk in that regard.
  Now, the Progressive Caucus is absolutely ready to fully participate 
in this debate about good ideas so that we can ensure any change in the 
way we treat carbon will be done to maximize the benefits to the 
environment, minimize the impact on our constituents, and transform our 
economy with new energy technologies. Our feet are on the ground. We're 
ready to go. But what we are going to want is bold decisions and bold 
resources and bold support so that we aren't tiptoeing along and 
pretending it isn't happening. We're going to work with the Obama 
administration. We're going to work with our leadership, and we are 
going to work with both sides of the aisle to ensure that what we're 
talking about is real and doable and supported.
  Mr. ELLISON. Well, that's very important. And I want to thank you for 
those observations. The Progressive Caucus needs good ideas, too. We 
are being fully engaged in this energy debate that's going on. We are 
not shrinking from this debate at all. And if people want to offer some 
advice, there is a Web site that we have, and folks can give us their 
views, cpc.grijalva.gov--Grijalva is the name of our other co-chair--
because we do want to have people say here's what you should do.
  One of the things that it means to be progressive is to be open-
minded and try to gather in ideas from all places, to be grassroots, to 
gather in views and opinions from multiple sources. We don't claim a 
monopoly on good ideas, but we do have values that we uphold here of a 
progressive type.
  I want to just say, as we prepare to, in the next 5 to 7 minutes, 
hand it over to our Republican colleagues, that it's important that we 
do debunk a few myths, though. I mean, I've heard it said that the 
progressive support of cap-and-trade, isn't that just an energy tax? 
Well, we believe that it's not.
  First off, the Democratic plan is to repower America with clean 
energy and jobs. As for capping global warming pollution, the 
Democratic plan is simple. It makes polluters pay, and helps green 
companies prosper so they can hire more workers. It's time that the 
American solution we put in place to successfully fight acid rain in 
1990, after which time electricity rates fell 10 percent and the U.S. 
economy added 16 million new jobs. It's important to point out that the 
acid rain solution had bipartisan support and was signed by the first 
President Bush.
  It's true also--I mean, another attack item. Won't Democrats' energy 
tax raise electricity rates even though President Obama said cap-and-
trade will make energy prices increase?
  Saving consumers money is not a tax. Saving business money is not a 
tax. Sending $400 billion a year abroad, now, that is the kind of tax 
that we do want to avoid and help the American people not have to pay.
  The Democratic plan declares energy independence and puts America on 
a path to economic recovery. President Obama spoke of transitioning to 
a clean energy economy that will create jobs, make our homes and 
buildings and vehicles more efficient, and protect consumers. In his 
inaugural address, he said we will harness the sun and the wind and the 
soil to fuel our cars and our factories.
  We believe that this is the right direction. Although the Progressive 
Caucus will not simply adopt or parrot any policy, we will put forth a 
progressive policy and argue for those changes as the energy policy 
moves forward. We will be part of this conversation, fully 
participating in it, and ask that members of the public and the 
progressive community stand up and come forward to be part of this 
important energy policy.
  So, before we wrap up, I just want to offer our co-chair an 
opportunity to comment on our subject tonight. And after that we'll 
conclude.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. First of all, I want to thank you, Congressman Ellison, 
for these really informative Congressional Progressive Caucus dialogues 
that you have hosted every week ever since we came back into Congress 
this session.
  I want to say something about cap-and-trade, just so that those who 
are listening to us know how, what we think it means. And you said it. 
We already have cap-and-trade in this country. Not with carbon, but 
with ``NOX and SOx,'' which is better known as 
the pollutants that cause acid rain. It's been happening since 1990. 
And guess what? It works.
  So therefore, to explain the cap, it means we set a limit on the 
amount of carbon that large producers can put into the atmosphere. 
Then, over time, we reduce that number so people are allowed to produce 
less and less carbon until we get the reductions we need to avoid 
devastating climate change.
  The trade part means that the government issues credits for carbon 
emitters under the previously established cap. I know that's 
complicated, but it'll be easier to understand when it all gets laid 
out in front of people. These credits can then be bought, sold and 
traded, which means this operates under a free market system.
  Now, frankly, I'm just absolutely confused why so many Republicans 
are upset about a system that works on the principles of the free 
market. But I think once all of that is debunked, people will be able 
to better embrace it, particularly if we have some benefits, cap trade 
and dividends that come back to individuals and to industry and ensure 
that the cost of it is a benefit to the people who are paying those 
costs, because big industry is not going to be the only one that pays 
for it. I mean, they're benefiting from what they're producing. We are 
too, but they are. But it's going to cost everybody more. It just does. 
That's all there is to it, so they want to see some benefit from it.
  And so let's work on this together. Let's make sure that the 
investment in clean technology helps all people; that utility bills can 
come down, and other programs will be made in effect so that we are 
investing in our future, not our past.
  Mr. ELLISON. That's an excellent word, Congresswoman Woolsey. You 
again have been a great champion of a progressive message. You have 
been talking about a progressive promise. You've been talking about a 
progressive message. You have been lifting up the banner of progressive 
politics in this Congress, and we all want to thank you for your 
tremendous leadership, not to mention your 309 consecutive speeches in 
favor of peace.
  Tonight we've been talking about American clean energy and jobs. This 
is the symbol of a windmill. We can harness the wind and the sun. We 
can harness the natural world to live in harmony with the planet, not 
simply use it and exploit it like so much of an endless commodity, but 
to truly use it in a way that will allow humanity to live in harmony 
with the natural world and to create jobs and to make our needs met.
  We talked about, tonight, the need for individuals to do things; is 
that right, Congresswoman Woolsey? Individuals should step forward. We 
do need to walk, not necessarily ride. We do need to promote transit. 
We do need to promote smart growth, livable communities. We need to do 
all these things. We should try to get a hybrid car, or not even take a 
car. Just walk or use nonmotorized transportation. We should pull out 
those plugs that we just leave sitting in the wall all day when we're 
not even at home.
  But it is also on the responsibility of government to take decisive 
action, to make the investments that we need in those bike paths, to 
promote a cap-and-trade system that surely reduces our carbon footprint 
and takes the proceeds from those programs and puts them back into 
renewable energy and helps ameliorate the cost to low-income 
individuals of meeting this important task.
  We need to do these things. We need to have a bold, committed program 
which gets the carbon footprint much, much lower so we can live on this 
planet.
  But finally, we need to remember that, in honor of Earth Day, that 
this Earth is something that we come from, not something that we are 
here to exploit. Even from a religious standpoint, we are the trustees 
of this Earth and have a responsibility to take good care of it. And I 
want to commend all those congregations, Congregations Caring for 
Creation, other groups like that doing good work, citizens out there 
doing good work, people concerned about the environmental justice 
aspects of this question of energy policy,

[[Page H4726]]

making sure that low-income communities, communities of color, are in 
the middle of this fight for this clean renewable world that we're 
coming into and are participating fully. Not green for some, green for 
all, right?
  And so, with that, we just want to thank everybody. Here's our Web 
site. We want to know what you think. We care about your opinion. Check 
back with us next week at the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the 
progressive message, hear about the progressive promise, and give us 
your ideas.

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