[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 65 (Thursday, April 30, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1029-E1030]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CLIMATE CHANGE SAFEGUARDS FOR NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. NORMAN D. DICKS

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 30, 2009

  Mr. DICKS. Madam Speaker, as the chairman of the Interior 
Appropriations Subcommittee and someone who is very concerned about the 
need to safeguard wildlife and ecosystems from the threat of global 
warming and ocean acidification, I wish to express my strong support 
for the ``Climate Change Safeguards for Natural Resources Conservation 
Act,'' legislation introduced today by Representative Raul Grijalva. I 
believe that the policy provisions in this legislation, coupled with a 
dedicated funding stream for wildlife and natural resources derived 
from a portion of the Federal revenues from expected cap-and-trade 
legislation, will provide the policy response necessary to tackle this 
significant challenge.
  I am very much aware of the need to take action to address global 
warming, and I have held hearings in the Interior Subcommittee to 
examine the impact of climate change on many of the agencies and 
resources under my subcommittee's jurisdiction. I have consistently 
stated my belief that climate change is the emerging issue of our time. 
Climate change may alter the face of our planet in ways we cannot yet 
fully comprehend, and I believe it is our responsibility not only to do 
as much as possible to halt or slow it, but also to do everything in 
our power to protect the earth's resources from its impacts so that 
future generations will be able to benefit from them as we and past 
generations have done.
  Our Nation's wildlife is one critically important resource that is 
particularly vulnerable to climate change and is also a resource that 
is a fundamental part of America's history and character. Conservation 
of wildlife and wildlife habitat is a core value shared by all 
Americans.
  America's wildlife is vital to our Nation for many reasons. Wildlife 
conservation provides economic, social, educational, recreational, 
emotional, and spiritual benefits. The economic value of the outdoor 
recreation industry alone is estimated to contribute $730 billion 
annually to the U.S. economy. Wildlife habitat, including forests, 
grasslands, riparian lands, wetlands, rivers and other water bodies, is 
an essential component of the American landscape, and is protected and 
valued by Federal, State, and local governments, tribes, private 
landowners, and conservation organizations.
  Ocean acidification is a subject not often discussed but which poses 
a grave threat to our waterways and ultimately to our food chain. The 
oceans absorb approximately 30 percent of the carbon dioxide 
(CO2) released into the atmosphere and they have played an 
important role in reducing the greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere 
and mitigating some of the impacts of climate change. However, recent 
discoveries clearly indicate that marine fish and wildlife are highly 
susceptible to increases in CO2 and the impact it has on 
water quality. Higher acidity affects the ability of marine life such 
as shellfish, lobsters and corals to build their skeletons and shells. 
Many of the affected organisms are important sources in the food chain 
for fish and other higher marine organisms. Fishing and related 
industries play a tremendous role in Washington State's economy, as 
well as other coastal communities.
  Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the effect 
of climate change on wildlife will be profound. The Intergovernmental 
Panel on Climate Change reports have made clear that global warming is 
occurring, that it is exacerbated by human activity, and that it will 
have devastating impacts on wildlife and wildlife habitat.
  Global warming is already impacting all of us: threatening the water 
we drink, the air we breathe, the medicines we use, the food we eat, 
the forests and fisheries we depend on, the special places we take our 
children. Wildlife is already suffering from massive changes in 
habitat, particularly in the arctic, and shifts in ranges and timing of 
migration and breeding cycles. Continued global warming could lead to 
large-scale species extinctions. These impacts add to and compound the 
adverse effects wildlife and its habitat already suffer from land 
development, energy development, road construction, and other human 
activities, and from other threats such as invasive species and 
disease.
  According to the IPCC, global warming and associated sea level rise 
will continue for centuries due to the timescales associated with 
climate processes and feedbacks, even if greenhouse gas concentrations 
are stabilized now or in the very near future. I believe that, as a 
nation, we must craft responses and mechanisms now to help navigate the 
threats global warming poses to the natural resources that we all 
depend upon for survival.
  To conserve natural resources and wildlife in the face of the far-
reaching effects of global warming, there is a need for a coordinated, 
national strategy based on sound scientific information to ensure that 
impacts on wildlife that span government jurisdictions are effectively 
addressed and to ensure that Federal funds are prudently committed. 
Ensuring strategic and efficient allocation of funding is something of 
particular interest to me as an appropriator.
  Because of these needs, I have co-sponsored the ``Climate Change 
Safeguards for Natural Resources Conservation Act.'' This legislation 
has been developed by the Natural Resources Committee and lays out the 
strong policy framework necessary to ensure our Nation is using all 
possible means to help safeguard America's natural resources and 
wildlife from the harmful impacts of global warming.
  I have also acted in my capacity on the House Appropriations 
Committee to support actions address the climate change impacts in the 
near term. In 2007, I worked to establish the Global Warming and 
Wildlife Science center at the U.S. Geological Survey to enhance the 
science capacity of Federal land management and wildlife agencies. In 
addition, the recent FY09 omnibus appropriations provided direction 
from my Subcommittee to the Department of the Interior to develop a 
national strategy to address global warming's impacts on fish, 
wildlife, and natural resources. Last Congress, I also introduced ``The 
Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act'' whose central principles are 
represented in the Natural Resources Committee bill that I am proud to 
cosponsor today.
  This bill will help ensure that the pressing needs that are faced by 
the agencies and programs under the Interior and Environment 
appropriations subcommittee to help wildlife and wildlife habitat are 
addressed strategically, based on a foundation of sound scientific 
information, and that funding is driven through proven programs at the 
Federal, State and tribal levels in the most efficient way possible.
  I also have one additional but very significant point to make about 
funding to address impacts to natural resources and wildlife from 
global warming. It is essential that actions to safeguard wildlife and 
the natural resources will all depend upon dedicated funding. 
Adequately addressing the greatest conservation challenge of our time 
will require long-term investments of the magnitude that only the 
revenue stream created by comprehensive climate and energy legislation 
can provide. I am working to ensure that 5 percent of the allowance 
value created by this legislation is dedicated to protect natural 
resources from global

[[Page E1030]]

warming. As I have indicated, the impacts are occurring today and the 
need is urgent. Paying for these investments through climate revenues 
takes the burden of protecting these resources off taxpaying citizens 
and onto the polluting entities responsible for causing global warming 
pollution.
  The Interior and Environment Apppropriations Subcommittee allocation 
is woefully stressed just dealing with the current needs of the 
agencies and programs under its jurisdiction. Our Federal land 
management agencies have tremendous backlogs for operations and 
maintenance of our national wildlife refuges, parks, forests and other 
public lands. This situation was greatly exacerbated under the Bush 
Administration budgets and prior Congresses. Hundreds of important 
biologist positions have been cut, and the agencies' budgets are far 
below what they have needed just to keep up with inflation. These 
programs have been starved to the point where they are on life support. 
It became apparent in hearings the subcommittee has held on global 
warming that the land management agencies are already seeing the 
results of climate change on the ground, but that they have few, if 
any, resources to deal with these changes. With the effects of global 
warming only expected to increase in severity in the coming years, I 
believe it is crucial to infuse dedicated new funding into our efforts 
to address this crisis, and I will work to make this happen.
  This is a great Nation with a unique and irreplaceable natural 
heritage. We must take steps now to protect our wonderful wildlife from 
the ravages of climate change. In this regard, I am pleased to be a 
cosponsor of the ``Climate Change Safeguards for Natural Resources 
Conservation Act.''

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