[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 98 (Friday, June 26, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1599]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           THE AMERICAN CLEAN ENERGY AND SECURITY ACT OF 2009

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                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 25, 2009

  Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, the Congress would be unwise to sit by and 
simply allow the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate a 
reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, as the agency has been mandated 
to do by the Supreme Court. Similarly, it would be a mistake to sit 
back and allow other countries to devise international rules that will 
affect America's economic and energy interests.
  I do not agree with those who advocate for sitting on our hands and 
just saying NO to everything, sight unseen. The international community 
has no interest in protecting American businesses, and the 
Environmental Protection Agency is not required by the Supreme Court to 
consider the views of our constituents or the economic consequences to 
our communities.
  I believe America is the one nation best equipped to lead such a 
multinational effort and, in doing so, to strike a balance between 
environmental preservation and the preservation of jobs. The hands-off 
approach of recent years did nothing to help promote new energy 
technologies, or to advance carbon capture and sequestration, or to 
protect American jobs.
  It is evident that wishing that this complex issue would simply go 
away will not lead to better results for our Nation or the people we 
represent. And ``just saying no'' to any and all proposals, sight 
unseen, is unrealistic and irresponsible.
  For those reasons, I chose to work with my colleagues and with 
numerous stakeholders--including the coal industry, manufacturers, and 
labor--to positively influence this bill and America's climate change 
strategies. And for those reasons our coal miners and responsible 
industry members have been at the table, too, rather than on the 
sidelines.
  I thank Chairman Waxman, who has made many concessions in this bill, 
and I thank leadership for listening to my concerns about this 
legislation and moving to help address them.
  As well, I commend my colleague Rick Boucher, from southwestern 
Virginia, who serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee and worked in 
determined fashion to make improvements to the bill that we both 
sought. I am grateful that he has been so welcoming of my views and 
supportive of our interests--such as ensuring the availability of $10 
billion to advance carbon capture and sequestration technologies and 
other changes that are beneficial to the people of our neighboring 
districts.
  While this bill is greatly improved from the discussion draft that 
was first circulated in March of this year--and opponents were saying 
NO even before that draft was written--more improvements are needed to 
gain my support.
  Coal does much more than keep the lights on in big cities across 
America. In my district, it covers the mortgage, puts food on the 
family dinner table, and keeps open the doors of small businesses. 
While the emissions target in the early years of this program has been 
lowered from the 20% cap initially contained in this bill, there 
remains widespread concern that even the reduced cap--17% in 2020--is 
still too high and too soon to incentivize rapid development and 
deployment of carbon capture and sequestration technologies, so as to 
ensure coal mining jobs for the future. We must allow time for 
expensive clean coal technologies to come on line.
  These technologies are critical to lowering emissions across multiple 
sectors of our economy. And they are necessary for keeping hardworking 
coal miners in the jobs they want, providing power for the country they 
love.
  Madam Speaker, today, I cannot cast my vote for this bill.

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