[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 173 (Tuesday, December 1, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H8649-H8650]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             CLIMATE CHANGE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, the eyes of the world are on Paris as it 
recovers from one tragedy and when 150 world leaders gather to prevent 
another. They meet to secure a global agreement on climate change.
  Reliance on fossil fuels, especially coal, and wasteful, expensive 
energy consumption shortchanges today's priorities and threatens our 
future. Ten years from now, even many of the current climate skeptics 
will wonder, ``What were we thinking?''
  The scientific evidence and the overwhelming consensus it has created 
is clear. The immediate impacts of record temperatures, erratic, very 
dangerous weather patterns, ocean acidification, drought, disease, 
social disruption, and wildfires have predictable impacts that have 
already cost us dearly, with many more severe problems on the horizon.
  It is sad that what should be a straightforward, scientific 
conclusion has become so emotionally charged and politically volatile. 
It is embarrassing and ironic that in the middle of this historic event 
on climate change, as the world consensus is strengthening and moving 
toward action, the best that our Republican Congress can do is voting 
on two pieces of legislation that would undo much of the progress we 
have already made.
  The Republican leader in the Senate argues that the carbon rule of 
the administration is a vast overreach and

[[Page H8650]]

yet that the Obama policies won't accomplish anything, all while 
working to undermine their effectiveness. We will then vote on H.R. 8, 
a fossil fuel giveaway that will do nothing to combat climate change, 
but only accelerate the problem.
  The best solution to the climate threat is not these foolish votes 
and obstructionism, but an action that has the potential to resolve 
other controversial issues while addressing our major climate 
challenges.
  It is past time for the Federal Government to enact a revenue-neutral 
fee on carbon emissions. This would not be an excuse to expand 
government spending and new programs, but instead simplify and solve 
current problems in a cost-effective manner.
  Consider for a moment that high on the list of problems, in addition 
to climate change, is that almost everyone thinks we should fix our 
broken corporate Tax Code, avoiding the looming Social Security 
deficit, and streamlining the patchwork of uneven energy subsidy 
provisions.
  A revenue-neutral carbon tax is a proven market mechanism to reduce 
the devastating carbon pollution. We could sweep away expensive and 
often conflicting clean energy subsidies and replace them with 
something much more effective.
  We could use the carbon revenues not for new programs, but to 
eliminate the looming 25 percent cut in Social Security, acting quickly 
while a solution is more affordable and less disruptive to the lives of 
our seniors.
  At the same time, we could adjust the Social Security tax downward to 
protect middle and lower income people from impacts of the fee, and we 
could boost small business, shielding them from part of the cost and 
lowering the payroll tax they pay, making it cheaper for them to employ 
people.
  Finally, a portion of the revenues could be used to buy down the 
world's highest corporate tax rate that the United States currently 
has, which distorts business decisions and places us at a competitive 
disadvantage with other developed countries.
  Think about it. We could solve the existential climate threat, make 
the tax system simpler, more fair, and effective, avoid the looming 
Social Security crisis, and shield individuals and small business from 
the undue impact from the carbon fee, while making our businesses more 
competitive. That is about as close as can you get to a nonpartisan, 
nonideological, grand-slam policy home run.
  Instead of policies of division and denial, it is time for us to come 
together to support a revenue-neutral carbon tax to solve multiple 
problems and meet our obligations to our children and grandchildren.

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