[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 149 (Thursday, October 15, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10457-S10459]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             CLIMATE CHANGE

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I have the honor of chairing the United 
States Helsinki Commission, representing the Senate. The Helsinki 
Commission is the U.S. participation in the Organization for Security 
and Cooperation in Europe. Fifty-six countries representing Europe, 
Central Asia, Canada, and the United States got together in 1975 in 
order to further advancements in security, in human rights, and in 
economics.

[[Page S10458]]

  We had our full meeting in Athens this past weekend, and the center 
subject for that meeting was climate change and the need for the 
international community to come together to enact meaningful goals for 
reducing greenhouse gases and carbon emissions. It was clear, from the 
urgency of this mission, that we need to act now; that the 
circumstances of floods and droughts in so many parts of the world are 
causing immediate concern. We now have what is known as climate 
migrants--people who are forced to leave their countries because of the 
impact of global climate change. This is causing serious concerns in 
many parts of the world in regard to stability and security, which 
affects U.S. interests.
  I know each of us in our own States can give our own examples of the 
impact of climate change. In my State of Maryland, the residents of 
Smith Island understand that their island is disappearing during their 
lifetime because of sea level changes, due in part to global climate 
change. The watermen in Maryland know their livelihood is being 
jeopardized because of the warming of the Chesapeake Bay, affecting sea 
grasses, which affects the ability of the blue crab to survive. So we 
all know the immediate impact.
  But in Athens it became apparent to the international community that 
we need to act now. We need to act now for the sake of our security, we 
need to act now because of the economic imperative, and we need to act 
now because of the environmental risk. The good news is it was apparent 
to all of us that there is a common solution. If we deal with our 
energy issues, we can solve all three of those problems.
  We can strengthen our economies, particularly in these difficult 
times, by creating good new jobs; we can deal with international 
security threats, when one nation threatens to cut off its oil or gas 
to another country; or the fact that so many places in the world that 
have the mineral wealth have values that are different than our values 
and we are actually helping to support their values; and for the 
environmental need of making sure that we deal with global climate 
change in future generations and we work together.
  The question that was asked at this meeting was: Where is the United 
States? Where is the leadership from the strongest Nation in the world? 
Well, my reply was: The United States is back. We are ready to assume 
international leadership on global climate change issues.
  The Obama administration has already taken action. They have taken 
action on CAFE standards for automobiles. They have taken action 
through the Environmental Protection Agency. It is clear that we are 
ready to act. The House of Representatives has already passed 
legislation, and Senator Kerry and Senator Boxer have brought forward 
the Clean Energy Jobs and the American Power Act, and I am proud to be 
part of that effort and that legislation. That legislation builds on 
the work done in the last Congress with Senator Lieberman and Senator 
Warner, and it is very similar to the bill that has passed the House of 
Representatives.
  What that legislation will do is to reestablish U.S. leadership on 
international efforts to deal with global climate change. The 
legislation would establish a 20-percent reduction by the year 2020. 
That is stronger than in the House bill and it establishes America as a 
leader. It dedicates investment toward domestic clean energy and 21st 
century infrastructure by providing the necessary investments in wind 
and solar. These technologies were developed in the United States and 
now it is time for us to put that technology to work creating jobs in 
America and alternative renewable energy sources that will wean us off 
the need for imported oil.
  The legislation also dedicates funds for other types of green 
transportation, which we know can be very valuable. Green 
transportation represents 30 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions 
and 70 percent of our oil. We can do much better. I am personally 
working very hard to promote additional funding sources for public 
transportation. You can't help, when you travel to Europe, but know 
that their models are much stronger than ours in transporting people 
through public transportation. I happen to represent two of the most 
congested urban areas in our country--Baltimore and Washington. Both 
have transit systems that are in need of expansion. By doubling the 
ridership on public transportation, we can reduce our imported oil by 
40 percent alone.
  This legislation is friendly toward alternative energy sources and 
nuclear energy, which has a very favorable carbon footprint. It also 
creates jobs. We know that we can create four times as many jobs here 
in America by investing in green energy rather than in oil or gas. 
Japan also knows that. They have been investing in renewable energy 
sources. Germany knows that. They are investing today because they know 
it is good for jobs. China knows that. They are investing today. They 
are going forward with these programs for alternative and renewable 
energy sources in wind and solar and many other areas, because they 
know that is where the competition will be tomorrow, and they are going 
to be prepared. We also need to be prepared.
  The legislation Senator Kerry and Senator Boxer have brought forward 
protects the consumers, making sure that in our transition we don't add 
to the cost of the typical consumer in America. It also helps 
industries that are very dependent today on carbon energy sources. It 
helps them in transition so they can transition to the new energy of 
tomorrow. It invests in clean coal. We have plenty of coal, but it 
emits too much carbon. Well, this bill invests in figuring out how we 
can use coal in an environmentally friendly way.
  The legislation also deals with our international responsibilities. 
As a developed nation, we have a responsibility to developing 
countries. They have already been impacted much more adversely than we 
due to the impacts of global climate change. We need to strengthen 
their ability and resolve to protect our forests, to be good stewards 
of our environment, and to help them deal with development. The bill 
also provides for wildlife--to preserve wildlife.

  One last part about the Kerry-Boxer bill. It is deficit neutral. It 
will not add any additional debt for future generations. This is truly 
a bill that my two granddaughters, that all our children and 
grandchildren will benefit from by having a cleaner environment, a 
safer country through energy security, good jobs for the future, and 
all without adding to the deficit.
  I reminded my colleagues in Athens that for Copenhagen to be 
successful, we need to have a bill that sets reasonable targets, 
absolutely--short term and long term. We have to have the mechanisms 
that get us to those targets in place in Copenhagen. We also have to 
have the financing to help the developing countries, and we also have 
to have enforcement. We have to have enforcement.
  What do I mean by that? Well, we are not going to accomplish our 
goals if the United States does everything it does to reduce carbon 
emissions but we find other countries don't do that and then they send 
their products here to America at a cheaper price. That is unfair to 
U.S. manufacturers and producers, and it doesn't accomplish our 
international goals of bringing down carbon emissions. So what I have 
suggested is that in Copenhagen there needs to be a mechanism that says 
if your country does not meet the international standards, your 
products are subject to a border adjustment reflective of the cost to 
bring that product in compliance with international carbon standards. 
That is fair to the manufacturers in those countries that have met 
those standards, and it also permits us to make sure that other 
countries in fact do act to deal with their international 
responsibilities.
  I am optimistic. I am optimistic we are going to be able to achieve 
these results. The urgency of the issue requires us to act. We have 
Senator Kerry and Senator Boxer who have brought forward a reasonable 
bill, and hearings are scheduled before the Environment and Public 
Works Committee later this month.
  Recently Senator Kerry and Senator Graham have gotten together on a 
blueprint on how we can move forward on global climate change 
legislation in this Congress, and they bring up two subjects I have 
already mentioned--the use of nuclear power in America, which clearly 
needs to be part of the solution, and how we can deal with clean 
burning coal.

[[Page S10459]]

  In Copenhagen, in December, we need to achieve the international 
results that are the strongest in setting these goals and mechanisms in 
place. I am confident that America will be a leader in Copenhagen, and 
a leader in bringing forward responsible legislation to deal with 
energy.
  For those who say we should go slow, let me tell you, reviving our 
economy is intrinsically linked to rethinking how we solve our energy 
challenges. Investing in new technology creates new jobs. Diversifying 
our energy sources creates competition, stabilizing and lowering energy 
prices. And thinking beyond fossil fuel buried in unstable and 
unreliable countries makes us all more secure. Our dependence on old 
ways, old patterns, and old resources puts us at a financial and 
national security disadvantage. Those same fossil fuels we burn to 
drive our cars, power our homes and heat and treat our water are 
polluting our air, making our children sick, and raising our planet's 
temperature. The good news is that in solving our energy security 
challenge, we can also grow our economy and clean our environment.
  But let's remember that any deals we reach in Copenhagen and any laws 
we pass here are but the beginning. The work must continue with earnest 
follow-through dedicated to truly changing the way we work and live and 
move around this Earth.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.
  Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be 
recognized for up to 5 minutes in morning business, and that I then am 
followed by the Senator from Michigan, Senator Stabenow.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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