[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 109 (Thursday, July 7, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H4471-H4472]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        CLIMATE CHANGE AND WATER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Quigley) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, when it comes to climate change, the data 
is in and the science clear: Our world is shifting. Sea levels are 
rising. Glaciers are shrinking. Oceans are becoming more acidic.
  What is more? The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is 95 
percent certain that humans are causing the current climate change 
trend. To sit here and deny the science simply because it 
inconveniences us does nothing but cause greater harm for our planet 
and future generations. Each day that passes without action on climate 
change is another day we are wreaking havoc on our world.
  I think President Obama said it best when he stated: ``If anybody 
still wants to dispute the science around climate change, have at it. 
You'll be pretty lonely, because you'll be debating our military, most 
of America's business leaders, the majority of the American people, 
almost the entire scientific community, and 200 nations around the 
world who agree it's a problem and intend to solve it.''
  It is hard to believe that some of my colleagues are so determined to 
deny climate science that they are willing to sacrifice the health and 
safety of Americans.
  Nowhere is the sacrifice more evident than in our waterways. We use 
water for everything, from drinking and bathing to growing crops, 
shipping goods, generating electricity, and recreation. But climate 
change is creating profound changes to this precious commodity, 
threatening water availability, access, and quality.
  Many areas of the United States, especially in the West, currently 
face devastating water supply issues. The amount of water available in 
these areas is already limited, and our demand will continue to rise as 
the population grows.
  One of the greatest examples of this is the Colorado River system, a 
major source of water supply for the Southwest. In recent decades, 
water flow through this important river system has been lighter than 
expected given annual rain and snowfall rates. Not surprisingly, 
studies show that rising temperatures and climate change are the cause 
of this decreased water flow.
  As greenhouse gas pollution continues to pile up, it traps more heat, 
continually raising global temperatures, and parches the Colorado River 
watershed. Researchers expect that for every degree of Celsius of 
global warming, the amount of water that gets evaporated and sucked up 
by plants from the Colorado River could increase 2 or 3 percent. With 
4.5 million acres of farmland irrigated using the Colorado River water 
and with nearly 40 million residents depending on it, the incremental 
losses that are predicted will have a devastating impact.
  As the West continues to experience less rain and an increase in the 
severity and length of droughts, greater impacts on drinking water 
supplies are projected.
  Unfortunately, it is not just the western U.S. that is in danger. In 
my own region, the Great Lakes are under threat as they are warming at 
rates faster than the world's oceans. It is expected that the Great 
Lakes region will grow warmer and probably dryer during the 21st 
century, with temperatures in the region warming anywhere from 5 to 12 
degrees Fahrenheit.
  The impact climate change has on the five lakes will have serious 
implications for aquatic life, as well as high economic costs for our 
communities.
  Several different climate models for the Great Lakes region all 
predict that lake levels will decline over the next century. Within 
another 30 years, Lake Superior may be mostly ice free in a typical 
winter and has already experienced increased water temperatures. Lake 
Erie water levels, already below average, could drop 4 to 5 feet by the 
end of this century, significantly altering shoreline habitat.
  We are at the tipping point, and instead of addressing the root of 
the issue, climate change, my colleagues continue to deny the science.
  Our waterways are national treasures. They serve as the backbone for 
our health, economy, ecosystems, and recreation. We cannot simply stand 
by while the course of the world is altered.
  The science is clear, the data is pointing us in one direction: Now 
is the

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time to act on climate change. We are not given a planet with unlimited 
resources. It is our job to protect our waters and the people that rely 
on them, and that begins with finding real solutions to our climate 
crisis.

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