[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 6 (Tuesday, January 13, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S212]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 11. Mr. MERKLEY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 2 proposed by Ms. Murkowski (for herself, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. 
Barrasso, Mr. Risch, Mr. Lee, Mr. Flake, Mr. Daines, Mr. Manchin, Mr. 
Cassidy, Mr. Gardner, Mr. Portman, Mr. Alexander, and Mrs. Capito) to 
the bill S. 1, to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline; which was ordered 
to lie on the table; as follows:

       After section 2, insert the following:

     SEC. __. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       (1) rural communities are critical to the food supply and 
     recreation opportunities of the United States;
       (2) farming, fishing, forestry, and recreation in the rural 
     communities of the United States are particularly vulnerable 
     to changes in climate;
       (3) the overwhelming majority of the scientific community 
     agrees that global warming is real and predominantly 
     attributable to human activity;
       (4) climate change is already having devastating impacts to 
     the rural communities of the United States;
       (5) winter snow pack is decreasing, impacting agricultural 
     producers who depend on irrigation;
       (6) ocean acidity levels are increasing and ocean water 
     temperatures are rising, impacting coastal fishermen; and
       (7) the fire season in the Western United States is growing 
     longer, impacting loggers and mill owners.
       (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) climate change is real;
       (2) the rural communities of the United States are and will 
     be significantly impacted by climate change; and
       (3) the United States should make it a priority to protect 
     the rural communities and natural resources from the worst 
     impacts of climate change.
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