[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 94 (Tuesday, June 17, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3693-S3694]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             CLIMATE CHANGE

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, this morning there was a scene on 
television I had never seen before. In fact, the commentators said they 
had never seen it either.

[[Page S3694]]

  I might preface this by saying I grew up in the Midwest. Tornadoes 
are a part of our lives. I cannot recall how many times I was rousted 
out of my bed in the middle of the night as the sirens were going on 
outside and mom and dad would take me to the basement. That is what we 
did as I grew up in the Midwest. Tornadoes were part of our lives.
  This morning showed what happened in Nebraska yesterday to be a 
virtually unique occurrence--twin tornadoes came ripping through the 
State of Nebraska killing people and destroying lives and businesses 
and homes and farms. There was a reflection on this about how the 
weather seems to be getting more extreme in this country. Are we 
getting more and more extreme weather events, many of which are very 
destructive? I think the clear answer is yes. Don't trust a politician 
or even an environmentalist for that answer. Go to the people who do 
this for a living. That is what I did. I held a hearing and called the 
leaders from the property and casualty insurance companies. They do 
this for a living, and they said not only are we getting more extreme 
weather events, they are much more expensive than ever before. The 
destruction is much larger. So many insurance companies, because of 
these extreme weather events, are starting to charge higher premiums 
and backing off of coverage. They said they can't create a reserve for 
the possibility of an extreme weather event that would be so 
destructive.
  There are some people who hear what I just said and say: Well, God 
has his ways--or her ways--and God may decide the weather is going to 
be a lot tougher for you in this generation than in other generations. 
I heard that back home. But there are some people who believe--and I am 
one of them--that this is not just God's work, this has something to do 
with our work on this planet.
  I happen to believe carbon pollution is a challenge, not just for 
America but for the world, and we need to reduce carbon pollution, 
which is changing the planet we live on. Because of carbon pollution, 
this warming climate--this warming planet--is creating situations which 
are troubling.
  There was an article in the paper over the weekend. Norfolk, VA--not 
a liberal bastion--is now taking steps because of the rising ocean. It 
is up about a foot and a half from what they knew as the standard and 
they expect it to grow even more, threatening buildings, commerce, and 
homes all around that area. The impact of climate change and carbon 
pollution is evident in every direction of this world.

  I have said this on the floor four or five times and I will repeat 
it: There is only one major political party in the world today that 
denies climate change and denies these extreme weather events have 
anything to do with our activity on Earth. The Republican Party of the 
United States of America is in denial. So when they deny the premise 
that something is happening on this Earth that we need to think about 
and worry about, it is easy to dismiss any and every effort to deal 
with it.
  The Senator who spoke before me is from my neighboring State of 
Kentucky. His coal fields abut my coal fields in Southern Illinois, so 
we have a common energy resource. But I will say in all honesty, if we 
want to use the energy resource of coal in Illinois, we have to change 
the way we use it to reduce pollution. I think we can do that. It will 
be better technology in the electrical powerplants and uses something 
that is underway in our State: carbon capturing sequestration. Imagine 
if we could take the carbon pollution that is headed for the atmosphere 
that causes the problem and never let it reach the atmosphere.
  That is what we are going to do. We are going to dig deep into the 
Earth over 1 mile down under three levels of shale rock and store 
compressed CO2 so it doesn't go into the atmosphere. Carbon 
capturing sequestration, that is not a war on coal; that is a war on 
our energy problems and a responsible approach for dealing with coal.
  I think that is the honest answer to my friends in Southern Illinois 
and those who value the coal industry and what it means to our economy. 
We have to be thoughtful, reflective, and innovative in making certain 
we use the energy resources we have responsibly and leave this Earth in 
a situation where our children and grandchildren will say our 
generation did not ignore the obvious.
  Twin tornadoes in Nebraska are an indicator to me that time is not on 
our side. We have to step up. Both parties have to step up and find 
solutions that are responsible.

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