[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 149 (Wednesday, October 23, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H6760]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SAFE CLIMATE CAUCUS
(Mr. WAXMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise as a member of the Safe Climate
Caucus to address the important issue of climate change.
EPA reported some good news today: carbon pollution from power plants
has dropped 10 percent from 2010 to 2012. Some of this drop was due to
fuel switching from coal to natural gas, which is less polluting; some
was due to increased energy efficiency; and some was due to growth in
clean, renewable sources of electricity like wind and solar.
Our challenge is to continue these reductions. Market forces alone
will not be enough. The Energy Department says that carbon pollution
has crept up this year as coal prices fell and usage increased. That is
why we need the new regulations proposed by EPA to limit carbon
pollution from new power plants, and that is why we need limits on
pollution from existing power plants.
The history of the Clean Air Act has shown us we can have both a
strong economy and clean air. Our health, our environment, and our
economic prosperity depend on developing the clean energy technologies
of the future.
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