[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 177 (Wednesday, November 1, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H8374-H8381]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CLIMATE SOLUTIONS CAUCUS
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 3, 2017, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski) is
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
General Leave
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material on the topic of this Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a member of the Climate
Solutions Caucus to speak on the issue of climate change. The caucus is
a bipartisan group of members committed to implementing economically
viable options to reduce climate risk.
The caucus has a ``Noah's Ark'' membership rule. Members can only
join in pairs, one from each party. Under the leadership of co-chairs
Mr. Curbelo and Mr. Deutch, the caucus is helping to break the partisan
gridlock on this issue and show that promoting climate solutions can be
truly bipartisan.
The formation and rapid growth of the Climate Solutions Caucus
represents a recognition of both the challenges and opportunities and
has demonstrated that there is bipartisan will to take action.
In recognition of the fact that 60 Members of Congress have come
together to fight climate change in a bipartisan fashion, I organized
this time for my colleagues to join me on the floor to let the American
people know what we, as their elected leaders, are doing to address
climate change.
We know, from scientific evidence, that our climate is changing. The
global average temperature has increased by about 1.4 degrees
Fahrenheit over the last 100 years. Sea levels are rising, the ocean is
becoming more acidic, precipitation patterns are changing, and heat
waves are becoming more frequent and longer in duration.
Each of these changes produces a cascade of effects that impact our
lives and livelihoods, including flooding, changes in crop yields,
power shortages, declines in fisheries, and increases in cardiovascular
disease.
Recent events in our own country, such as devastating hurricanes in
the Southeast and wildfires in the West have brought this issue to the
forefront of everyone's minds. Now climate
[[Page H8375]]
change can't be directly blamed for all these problems, but the
evidence strongly suggests that it contributes to each of them, and
there are things that we can do to limit its effects.
Climate change also has a significant impact on public health. A
groundbreaking study published just this week in a medical journal, The
Lancet, unequivocally showed that climate change is a serious public
health threat. The study involved 24 institutions from around the world
and included staggering statistics, such as the fact that air pollution
caused 1.9 million premature deaths in Asia in 2015, and that the range
of common disease-transmitting mosquitoes increased 9.5 percent since
1950.
We know that high temperatures exasperate health problems and that
burning fossil fuels creates pollution that causes cardiovascular
disease. The National Academies estimate that air pollution causes
around $120 billion per year in health-related damages, including
healthcare costs, missed days of work and school, and premature death.
We also know that changing climate has altered the range, in some
cases accelerated the spread of vector-borne diseases likes Zika and
the West Nile virus. Responsibly transitioning to a clean energy
economy will not only reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that
contribute to climate change, but it will also reduce air pollution and
help all Americans breathe easier.
What I want to talk about for a few minutes, before I turn to some of
my colleagues, is a very common misperception about the relationship
between implementing climate solutions and growing jobs.
Some people think that this is a zero-sum game. That is, they think
if you have more of one, you get less of the other. But that is simply
not true.
Implementing climate solutions can grow jobs, especially new high-
paying jobs. The U.S. needs to take advantage of these economic
opportunities. Regardless of what we do here in the U.S., the rest of
the world has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and
reaching the targets laid out in the Paris Agreement, as have many
cities, States, and companies here at home.
To achieve that goal, significant technological development and
innovation will be needed, as well as infrastructure, markets, and
distribution channels to get that technology to the people and places
that need it.
The national economies that produce this clean energy technology will
benefit greatly. The U.S. still leads the world in technology and
innovation. Countries around the world try to recreate the innovation
ethos that exists in Silicon Valley and in other places across our
Nation.
The United States also has the workers who are needed to build these
innovations. So we have what it takes, and if we seize the opportunity
to invest in clean and climate-resilient technologies, then our economy
and the American people will benefit as the world adapts to climate
change and America grows good-paying jobs all across our Nation.
But if we let this opportunity pass us by, then profits and jobs will
instead flow to foreign countries that develop the technologies the
world needs, and American cities and States will be forced to buy
foreign products as they upgrade to climate-resilient infrastructure.
{time} 2000
That is why I will soon be introducing a bill called Challenges and
Prizes for Climate Act. This bill will establish five or more prize
challenges overseen by the Department of Energy to harness the
ingenuity of the research community in the private sector to solve big,
complex climate problems.
Challenges have been used in the past by a wide range of
organizations, including the XPRIZE, who used the challenge to jump-
start the commercial space transportation industry. This industry is
now flourishing.
I was just recently at SpaceX in California and saw their impressive
manufacturing facility they have there. The U.S. is now relying on
SpaceX in order to bring supplies up to the International Space Station
and their plans to soon be flying astronauts. This commercial space
transportation industry began with those who reached to try to meet
this challenge and get the XPRIZE.
The Federal Trade Commission also used the prize challenge to help
bring a robocall blocking service to the market, something that we can
all very much appreciate. That is why I am going this direction.
My bill will create challenges that fall under five themes: carbon
capture and reuse, energy efficiency, energy storage, climate
adaptation and resiliency, and data analytics for better climate
predictions.
Using authority from the America COMPETES Act, the Department of
Energy will convene working groups from across agencies, universities,
nonprofits and the private sector to help plan the challenges, and even
to contribute to the prizes.
The goal of the challenge is not just to reward the winner of the
best solution, but also to bring visibility to the range of innovations
competing for the prize and to help society envision the future. This
bill will help us see what our clean energy future will look like, and
I urge all of my colleagues to support it.
Mr. Speaker, I want to begin hearing from the bipartisan group of
climate leaders who have joined me here on the floor this evening.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr.
Fitzpatrick), my Republican colleague.
Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Mr. Lipinski, for
his leadership on this issue.
Mr. Speaker, serving as good stewards of our environment is something
that each and every one of us are called to do no matter who we are or
where we come from.
It is critical in order to preserve public health. The reality is
climate change is real and humans are a contributing factor. Congress
must take serious and reasonable steps to combat it.
As an Eagle Scout and a conservationist who grew up in Bucks County,
Pennsylvania, I have always been captivated by the natural beauty of
our open spaces and wild places. We have it all in Bucks County:
preserved farmland, amazing parks, expansive forests, and historic
rivers. I believe that with these natural treasures comes a special
responsibility to care for and protect our natural resources at the
local, State, and Federal level.
Climate change and the irresponsible management of our resources put
a strain on the health of our communities and our children. Clean air
and clean water are essential to the health, safety, and well-being of
the next generation of Americans.
Mr. Speaker, protecting our Nation's open spaces unites us as
Americans. That is why I joined 16 other House Republicans on House
Resolution 195 to encourage American innovation to improve
environmental policy and to protect, conserve, and be good stewards of
our environment.
I introduced the Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act, H.R. 1889,
with Congressman Jared Huffman from California. This bill designates
the 1.5 million-acre land of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as a
component of the National Wilderness Preservation System to protect it
from damaging activities like oil and gas drilling.
I have voted to protect the methane rule for stream protections.
The Climate Solutions Caucus will continue to be the group that shows
Washington how to forego the political gamesmanship and get to work on
ways we can improve our environment, address the realities of climate
change, and increase innovation with an eye towards sustainability.
Protecting our environment cannot be partisan, Mr. Speaker. We have
to come together to get this done as Americans.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Fitzpatrick for his leadership
and jumping in, in his firm term here in the House leadership, on
coming to solutions on climate change.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney),
my colleague who I have been working with for a number of years here in
the House, a very dedicated Member, especially when it comes to issues
of science and climate change.
Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Lipinski for his leadership on
this.
Mr. Speaker, I want to talk a little bit about climate. We know that
climate is changing, and we have seen it.
[[Page H8376]]
In California, we had horrific wildfires that claimed 40 lives and
destroyed thousands of structures. We have seen hurricanes more
frequently, more devastating, and more powerful than ever before. So
the effects are there. We see it happening.
Now, the thing that we are faced with is that there is a significant
section of people that deny climate change. You can sort of see why
they are denying it. I mean, if something is in your interest, you are
going to be able to talk yourself into just about anything.
The big benefit of denying climate change is that we can continue to
use fossil fuels. If you are a company that uses fossil fuels or
produces fossil fuels, yeah, this is what you want. But there are costs
of denial, and the costs of denial are clear.
We are seeing weather. We just talked about that. We are seeing
health effects. We have seen that both in terms of elevated
temperatures, causing people to have heat problems. We are seeing
disease vectors moving to the temperate zones from the Equator. We are
also going to see significant infrastructure costs, like we see in
Puerto Rico now. These are real costs that we are going to pay for the
denial of climate change.
Now, what are the benefits of climate change?
Well, there are significant benefits, from my point of view.
First of all, we have been spending American taxpayer dollars to
develop technology to fight climate change, or to reduce carbon
emissions.
I will tell you a little story about my own career. I was working at
a company called U.S. Wind Power. With some amount of taxpayer dollars,
we developed the leading technology for wind energy. Of course, what
happened was that the funding stopped, tax credits ended, and that
technology that we developed with taxpayer dollars went to Europe. They
built thousands of windmills in Germany, and they made a lot of money
based on that technology that we developed and paid for right in the
United States of America.
We also know that renewable energy production creates more jobs than
fossil fuel production for the same amount of energy. We are talking
about a potential to create millions of jobs in this country. Not only
that, but renewable energy has a stable price market feature. Unlike
fossil fuels, which have highs and lows over a 10-year cycle, fossil
fuels are going to be nice and stable, will be predictable. And
businesses love predictability. So I think this is also another very
good argument.
Lastly, if we reduce fossil fuels and go to clean energy, we are
going to have cleaner air and cleaner water, a healthier environment,
and we can reach sustainability. I think the benefits are pretty clear.
So where are we now?
Well, there are still significant resources out there determined to
muddy the waters and confuse people about climate change. I have three
publications here I want to illustrate. One is called ``Clexit for a
Brighter Future.'' Now, the point of this is that we need to exit the
Paris and United States climate treaties because fossil fuels are what
we need to power the future.
Another one is called ``The Mad, Mad, Mad World of Climatism.'' This
one, if you look it up, is biased, and it seems to be paid for by oil
interests.
The last one I want to show is a respected magazine that is called
National Geographic. And the cover page shows ``The War on Science.''
So I think we have a pretty good case to make for moving forward with
action on climate change.
There will be significant costs if we don't. Renewable energy is more
than cost competitive these days. As I mentioned, I worked in the wind
energy business. We see wind and solar being more cost competitive--
more than cost competitive, really--with coal and oil for energy
production.
So we have the technology, we have the means, and we have the desire
to do this, yet we are still hung up here in Washington in terms of
following through with government support that is needed with the right
sort of policies that will encourage us to reduce fossil fuel
reduction.
Now, one of the great bright spots we see--as Mr. Lipinski, my friend
from Illinois, pointed out--is that there is a bipartisan Climate
Solutions Caucus that has been formed over the last two terms. In order
to join, you have to have a Member of the other party. If I am a
Democrat, I have a Member of the Republican Party join.
What we are doing in that caucus is creating legislation that will
help reduce carbon emissions in an economic and prosperous way. I think
good things have a potential to happen. I encourage the caucus to
continue, and I hope it continues to grow.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. McNerney for all the work that
he does on this issue and many other issues here in the House.
Mr. Speaker, I am going to go back to the other side of the aisle. I
yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Faso).
Mr. FASO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Lipinski, my friend from
Illinois, for holding this Special Order this evening, to highlight the
important work being done by the Climate Solutions Caucus, to develop
economically viable solutions to address climate change.
Mr. Speaker, changing weather patterns and extreme weather events
threaten nearly every aspect of New York State's economy, including our
agricultural and outdoor recreational sectors. The recreational economy
alone generates $42 billion in consumer spending each year, while
supporting over 300,000 Empire State jobs. As we work to address
climate change in a bipartisan manner, we must employ a variety of
techniques that both mitigate impacts and support economic growth.
I am currently working with my Agriculture Committee colleagues on
conservation legislation for the next farm bill that will provide
important data points on conservation programs and outcomes, allowing
legislators and regulators to most efficiently use taxpayer dollars to
achieve real conservation results for our farms. These incentive
programs support farming practices that, among other benefits, like
increasing yield, lowering the amount of fertilizers that are employed,
pull carbon from the air and sequester it in the soil.
In addition to sequestering carbon in the soil. We can also work to
reduce emissions through greater efficiency in the transportation
sector. Indeed, the transportation sector is one area where
CO2 emissions have risen in the last 20 years, unlike, for
instance, the electric generation sector.
One easy fix would be to modernize the air traffic control system to
fly planes on more direct satellite guided routes because direct routes
save fuel. When Canada switched to a modern air traffic control system,
the national fleet was able to reduce emissions in that nation by
millions of tons per year.
These commonsense changes are great steps forward in combating
climate change, but our work is far from over. We must address the real
impacts of man-made climate change and emphasize the need to develop
and create jobs with a goal of protecting our environment. It is
critical that we work together to develop smart solutions that will
conserve our natural resources and protect our communities and
infrastructure for future generations.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to be a member of the Climate
Solutions Caucus, and I look forward to working with my colleagues. I,
particularly, want to applaud our distinguished friend from Illinois,
Mr. Lipinski, for organizing this Special Order tonight on a bipartisan
basis so that we can address this issue and allow the folks at home and
all around the United States to better understand the work that is
being done here in Congress on a bipartisan basis to address climate
change.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Faso for his work,
understanding that we are only going to make progress on this through
bipartisan action. I am very happy to join working with him on the
Climate Solutions Caucus to bring that action forward.
Mr. Speaker, my next speaker is a woman who I work with on the
Science, Space, and Technology Committee, who has done some fantastic
work on that committee, especially when it comes to the issue of
climate change and dealing with climate change.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici).
{time} 2015
Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Lipinski for yielding and also
for
[[Page H8377]]
organizing this Special Order for the Climate Solutions Caucus. I also
want to thank the founders of the Climate Solutions Caucus, Congressman
Ted Deutch from Florida and Congressman Carlos Curbelo also from
Florida, where they can see at their doorstep what issues like sea
level rise mean to their communities.
Mr. Speaker, I am really pleased to join with my colleagues from the
bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus this evening to highlight the
importance of taking action on climate change, something that matters
so much to my constituents at home in Oregon, but also to the country
and to the planet.
This is an important issue that really is a moral imperative. This is
about preserving our natural resources for our children, our
grandchildren, and for generations to come. Addressing climate change
is also vital to our Nation's economy, as we have had some discussion
about that this evening, and also to national security, but, really,
the health of the planet.
Now, the district I am honored to represent out in Oregon is
breathtakingly beautiful, and it is really full of potential. The
majestic Columbia River is the northern boundary of the district, and
the rugged Pacific Ocean is on the western boundary. It has a thriving
outdoor recreation economy. As my colleague from New York mentioned,
that is an important sector that cares a lot about the changing
climate.
I also have in my district the heart of Oregon wine country. People
in my district fish. They fish in our rivers, our lakes, and our ocean.
They hike in our forests. They ski in our back country and on our
mountains. We rely on those natural resources in our backyard to
support a significant part of our economy, but we are very vulnerable
to the effects of climate change.
My constituents are already experiencing challenges: Our wine and
agricultural industries are concerned about drought as global
temperatures continue to rise. Coastal communities are worried about
the vitality of the commercial fishing and shellfish industries as high
levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere change ocean chemistry.
I was really thrilled that we had an Oregonian from Oregon State
University come to the Climate Solutions Caucus and talk about adapting
to ocean acidification.
Our region has faced higher spring and summer temperatures and
earlier snowmelt, and, as a result, a snowboard shop in my district is
now selling more skateboards and fewer snowboards.
Climate change is not a partisan issue. Nationwide, fishers, farmers,
small-business owners, and our servicemen and -women are changing the
way they do their jobs because of climate change, regardless of
political affiliation.
The economic, health, and environmental consequences of climate
change are well known, and our understanding about how to address
climate change continues to improve.
People in the United States and around the world are facing threats
from rising sea levels, from ocean acidification, from more frequent
and severe weather events from record droughts and flooding and rising
global temperatures. We can no longer sit back and debate whether we
should take action. The time is now. It is critical that we support
scientific research about the climate and that we build on, rather than
break down, decades' worth of progress on this issue.
Now, one important area of research is the connection between extreme
weather events and climate change. Although it is not possible to say
that climate change causes one particular extreme weather event, it is
critical that we know more about climate change and how it increases
the frequency and the severity of these events. Learning more about
this correlation can help families, communities, and businesses make
informed choices and adopt climate strategies.
Now, this year has seen poignant example after example with so many
devastating extreme weather events. We need to do everything we can to
make sure our communities are prepared to keep families safe.
We have had wildfires in the Western United States for a long time,
but since the mid-1980s, they have been increasing in frequency and in
duration, threatening lives, threatening public health and property. It
has been unusually hot and very dry in the Northwest.
Fires and severe smoke create dangerous conditions for all
populations. In Portland, Oregon, on Labor Day, the sky was gray, full
of smoke from wildfire. This is especially problematic for pregnant
women, for seniors, for children, for anyone with chronic health
conditions like asthma. Residents and communities miles away from the
wildfires saw ash falling on their homes, their cars, and throughout
their neighborhoods.
This year's hurricanes have devastated communities, of course, across
Texas, across the Southeast, and in the U.S. islands. About 70 percent
of our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico are still without power.
These storms are increasing in frequency and severity, and lives are
being lost every year.
Mr. Speaker, it is so important that we take action, and that is why
I am so pleased to be here today to help highlight the importance of
this issue.
As Representative Lipinski noted and others have, Mr. McNerney and
others, we can take action to address climate change and grow the
economy. It is not an excuse to say this will be bad for the economy,
because we can grow those renewable energy industries. There is so much
potential in wind power, wave energy, solar energy. Those are good,
high-paying, family-wage jobs. We can grow those economies and address
climate change at the same time.
Mr. Speaker, addressing climate change is going to save lives; it is
going to save property. I am so pleased to be part of this bipartisan
group that is working together in equal number of Democrats and
Republicans to call attention to this important issue, and I will
continue to work with the caucus to emphasize the importance of
congressional action.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues on the bipartisan Climate
Solutions Caucus for their dedication to this effort. I know it is
quite a relief to my constituents back home in Oregon to know that
there are bipartisan Members who are committed to addressing this
critical issue.
Again, Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their dedication to
this effort. I look forward to the progress that we will make together
on behalf of our constituents, our communities, our country, and our
planet.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Bonamici for speaking tonight.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman who really deserves a
tremendous amount of credit for all of us being here tonight. He is the
co-chair of the Climate Solutions Caucus, the gentleman from Florida
(Mr. Deutch).
Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Mr. Lipinski, for
yielding and for his thoughtful and passionate leadership in combating
climate change, and thanks to the strong bipartisan cross section of
Members who have come to the floor tonight to talk about the importance
of tackling climate change.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call on my colleagues, all of them, to
join the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus. I started this caucus
with my fellow Floridian, Congressman Carlos Curbelo, to start a new
dialogue around climate and Congress because we are already facing
difficult challenges. We can't ignore it. We can't bury it in political
fights. We need to have an open discussion not only for our future, but
for the impact of climate change that we are facing today.
It is no coincidence that this project started with two Members from
south Florida. A 2015 study projected that some south Florida cities
could be underwater within this century. The study's author said some
cities appear already to be lost.
Climate change is already here for Floridians. The effects have hit
Florida first.
Scientists have warned of warming average global temperatures and the
changing climate for decades. Dr. Andrew Clarke of the British
Antarctic Survey has spent 40 years at the bottom of the planet
watching it disappear. Dr. Clarke said: ``You can see the entire
environment changing in front of your eyes.''
We now have climate change right before our eyes in south Florida. We
see the rate of sea level rise outpace the global rate tenfold. We see
the high-water mark jump 1 inch every
[[Page H8378]]
year. Just this week, we see the tides flooding our neighborhoods.
The limestone that serves as the foundation of our State is porous.
Saltwater pushes up through the limestone from below the surface.
Lower bridge heights will block boats from reaching open waters. With
165 miles of canals, Fort Lauderdale faces significant threats of
rising seas. Who in south Florida hasn't driven around their
neighborhood and noticed more puddles, more water accumulating on the
sidewalks and streets?
While many Americans might be able to ignore climate change, ignore
the science, based on their own personal experience and your own
personal experience at home, we can't. Looking out our windows, we see
what is already there.
By the year 2100, almost 300 U.S. cities would lose at least half of
their homes, and 36 American cities could be completely destroyed. One
in eight Florida homes could be underwater. Those Florida homes
represent half of the total expected loss in housing value caused by
climate change over the next 84 years. These aren't risks of a distant
future. These are the burdens we are placing on our children and on our
grandchildren.
In response, and through the work of the South Florida Climate
Compact, Miami Beach has initiated a sea level rise plan to lift roads,
build up seawalls, and install pumps to clear water in the streets.
Fort Lauderdale is fixing roads and drains and sending vacuum trucks
into the streets to prevent saltwater damage, upgrading building codes
and flood elevation requirements, and requiring higher seawalls.
In Florida, you can't put climate change out of sight or out of mind,
but it is not just hitting Florida and it is not just the sea level
rise or increasing temperatures.
The National Climate Assessment has documented regional climate
impacts hitting every area of the United States:
In the Northeast and Midwest, dramatic increases in heavy
precipitation events overwhelm drains and levies, causing flooding and
accelerating erosion;
In the Great Plains and Southwest, drought and wildfires strain
demands for scarce water resources;
In Alaska, receding sea ice and melting glaciers are damaging
infrastructure;
On the coasts, increases in carbon dioxide and warming seas lead to
coral bleaching and ocean acidification that is taking its toll on
fisheries and the ecosystems.
The diverse and interconnected impacts that we already see throughout
our country explain why we already have 60 Members who belong to this
new dialogue, the Climate Solutions Caucus, 30 Democrats and 30
Republicans committed to changing the conversation and pushing
solutions that will create more resilient communities.
We are committed to understanding the impacts of climate change, the
impact on our national security; to investing in clean, innovative
energy protection; to protecting our public health; and to overcoming
the political obstacles that hold up public policy solutions.
It is time for Congress to come together and admit the challenges
that our constituents are already facing at home. It is time to build
consensus.
Through the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, we have brought
together Members from regions in every part of the country who are
experiencing their own climate change challenges. I invite every Member
of the House of Representatives to join us. Lift up the voices of your
constituents, your farmers, your city officials, your developers,
doctors, scientists, and, most importantly, the families whom you
represent.
If you are watching at home, call your Member of Congress and urge
them to join the Climate Solutions Caucus and help us start the
difficult work of building truly bipartisan consensus that will help us
tackle climate change together and help us create resilient American
communities of the future.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend, Mr. Lipinski, again for
organizing tonight's discussion.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Deutch for his leadership of
the Climate Solutions Caucus.
Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have remaining.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Budd). The gentleman from Illinois has
25 minutes remaining.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, with that, I yield to my colleague, the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Suozzi).
Mr. SUOZZI. Mr. Speaker, I applaud my colleague, Mr. Lipinski, for
pulling this effort together this evening.
Mr. Speaker, climate change is real, and I applaud my colleagues on
the Climate Solutions Caucus for working together in a bipartisan
effort to try and find common ground and to seek to work together to
pass legislation to address this very real threat.
I believe the greatest opportunity we have here is to include efforts
to move our Nation toward a greener economy as part of a comprehensive
infrastructure bill.
We must address climate change for three reasons: first, the Earth is
part of the divine creation, and we have an obligation to preserve and
protect our precious gift; second, moving toward a green economy that
retrofits homes and buildings and installs solar and wind farms will
create good jobs at good wages that simply cannot be exported; and,
third, the main topic I wish to address this evening, is moving toward
a green economy, reducing our dependency on foreign oil, and addressing
climate change is essential to our national security.
{time} 2030
Americans rarely talk about it and sometimes forget, but we supported
Osama bin Laden against the Russians in Afghanistan. We supported
Saddam Hussein in Iraq after we lost the Shah after the Iranian
Revolution. We supported the Assads in Syria. And we still maintain a
close relationship with the Saudis, despite their support for
Wahhabism. Why? Because our national economic strategy and security has
relied for decades on access to foreign oil.
Our meddling in local affairs to ensure the oil spigot flowed freely
has sowed distrust across generations throughout the Middle East.
By moving towards a green economy and eliminating our dependence on
foreign oil, we can clearly say to the Middle East: We never wanted
your land, we never wanted your money, and now we don't need your oil.
All we want is for people of the region to stop trying to kill each
other. It will take some time, but moving towards an economy
independent of foreign oil is the best way to get there.
In addition to eliminating our dependence on foreign oil, we must try
to stall the rapid rise in extreme weather events, droughts, and
desertification that is destabilizing huge swaths of the Middle East
and Africa. The number of refugees in the world has grown from 35
million only 10 years ago to 65 million today. War and violence are
exacerbated by the instability caused by climate change.
One of the most violent regions in the world today is Syria. The
instability in Syria began with droughts that destroyed the livelihoods
of the Syrian people that rely upon an economy which is 85 percent
agrarian. When people lost their farms, they fled to the cities looking
for work, but, of course, they could not find it. Then they looked to
the Assad government, but, of course, were ignored. Fomented by the
Arab Spring, they began to revolt. The result? The Syrian Government
has killed almost a half million of its own people and millions more
refugees. This story is being repeated throughout the region.
Although the people suffering are thousands of miles away from the
United States, our national security is threatened by these failing
states. The rise of ISIS in Syria and Iraq is a prime example of the
impact of failed states on Western security. Mass migrations by those
seeking to alleviate suffering, millions seeking political and economic
reforms place pressure on corrupt and incompetent governments that are
unable to respond to the needs of a population seeking opportunity and
hope.
Our enemies who wish to foment instability--Russia, Iran, North
Korea, and violent terrorist factions--are aided by the effects of
climate change and the instability it causes. We must do everything we
can to stall the growth of this nefarious trend.
[[Page H8379]]
The good news is that there is a growing bipartisan consensus in the
Climate Solutions Caucus and the armed services community that we must
act. The Armed Services Committee in the 2008 National Defense
Authorization Act acknowledged that ``climate change is a direct threat
to the national security of the United States,'' and that ``the
Department of Defense must ensure that it is prepared to conduct
operations both today and in the future, and that it is prepared to
address the effects of changing climate on threat assessments,
resources, and readiness.''
Secretary of Defense Mattis has said, ``Climate change can be a
driver of instability, and the Department of Defense must pay attention
to the potential adverse impacts generated by this phenomenon.''
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford has said
that climate change and rising sea levels pose serious long-term
threats to the country. The number of natural disasters will increase
in the coming years, along with ``the requirement for humanitarian
assistance'' and the response required for the military for civilian
disasters.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank again my colleagues for the work that
they have done to try and bring the issue of climate change to the
American people, and to try and find solutions to this very real
problem that is not only affecting us here at home, but our national
security throughout the world.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for all of his work
on this and other issues.
Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from California (Mr.
Carbajal), my colleague.
Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Lipinski for yielding to me.
Mr. Speaker, we are out of time to debate the reality of climate
change. Its effects are already here. Recently, each year has brought
with it record-breaking droughts, hurricanes, and natural disasters.
My home State of California just experienced our deadliest wildfire
season yet. This year alone, natural disasters will cost more than $22
billion in recovery efforts. That is why I am proud to work with my
colleague and cofounder of the Climate Solutions Caucus, Mr. Curbelo,
to introduce the bipartisan Coastal State Climate Preparedness Act,
H.R. 3533, which will help coastal States better plan for extreme
weather events and implement climate change adaptation strategies.
We can save lives, homes, and billions of tax dollars by encouraging
these vulnerable communities to prepare their infrastructure for the
impacts of climate change.
After severe weather events like Hurricanes Maria and Harvey, it is
imperative that we invest in readying our infrastructure for the next
extreme weather event. Moreover, we also need to invest in developing
renewable energy sources.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House to join me and Mr.
Curbelo in this effort.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Carbajal for his work. That
was a great lead-in to our next speaker. We just had, a couple of
speakers ago, the Democratic co-chair of the Climate Solutions Caucus.
Our next speaker is the Republican co-chair. I give him a lot of credit
and I thank him for the work that he has done in putting this caucus
together.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Curbelo).
Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to my colleague
from Illinois for leading this special discussion tonight. I am
grateful to have the opportunity to come here for a few minutes. And
more than anything, I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle,
Republicans and Democrats, who have stepped up and said: Enough of the
demagoguery, enough of the fact-less conversation. Let's focus on what
is happening in the world, on how human beings are contributing to it,
and let's try to make the situation better.
I oftentimes say that, on this climate issue, neither the deniers nor
the alarmists have much to offer. It is the men and women who are
willing to sit at the table and have a sober conversation that can
really help solve this problem. There are a lot of people who are
counting on us to solve this problem.
Sea level rise is a reality. It is happening all over the world. Mr.
Speaker, you might understand why this might be important to me. I
represent a community where most people live near sea level and near
the sea. This is a real concern, especially in the Florida Keys, one of
the most attractive and dynamic parts of the country, an area that is
recovering. We hope our fellow Americans will help us continue
recovering after Hurricane Irma.
The Florida Keys and most of south Florida are significantly exposed
to this sea level rise challenge, and we know that human activity is at
least, in part, responsible for this dynamic. The Climate Solutions
Caucus is not about blaming people. It is not about pointing the
finger. It is about coming up with solutions.
I think there are really three phases to our caucus and our work. The
first phase was to bring Republicans and Democrats together, sit at the
table, have a discussion about our different perspectives on this
issue, invite in some key witnesses to help inform us. We have done
that. We have done a good job. Caucus members have a very good
relationship, a good rapport.
The next phase has been to block anti-climate legislation. We have
done that successfully here with some appropriations amendment where
the caucus has come together and said: No. We are not going to prohibit
the Defense Department from assessing the risks associated with climate
change.
Again, this is critical in my district. I happen to represent Naval
Air Station Key West, where the men and women of the Navy work hard to
train and prepare to defend our country overseas. That is a facility
that is exposed to this threat.
We came together and we defeated an amendment that would have
prohibited the Defense Department from assessing these risks.
I am really excited for the next phase of the caucus, which I hope we
can reach during this Congress, which is to find legislation that we
can all get behind and say that these are reasonable solutions that not
only help the environment and help guarantee that we are going to hand
off to our children and grandchildren the same beautiful Earth that we
inherited, but also that we are going to provide opportunities for
American innovation and growth, and new good jobs, high-paying jobs,
for young men and women from all over this country. That is going to be
very exciting, and we are all working together to get to that day where
we can promote an agenda in this Congress that will bring Republicans
and Democrats together behind a pro-environment, pro-growth policy that
will save this planet and keep our country on the cutting edge of
innovation, leading the world.
This is a not an issue that we should shy away from. We should rise
to this occasion. This is the country that has led the entire world
through a host of different challenges over the last couple centuries.
We can also do it on this climate issue, but I think we can only do it
if we do it together.
Mr. Speaker, I thank all of my colleagues, but especially my
Democratic colleagues tonight who have led this Special Order,
organized this Special Order. I think we all would like to invite our
colleagues from both sides of the aisle to join the caucus, especially
on my side. We are up to 30 Republicans, 30 Democrats. That is very
exciting. When I arrived here a couple years ago, I probably had only
two or three Republican colleagues who were even willing to discuss
this issue, and now there are 30 on the record. Let's keep the caucus
growing, let's keep it strong, let's work together, and let's change
the world for the better.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Curbelo for his leadership and
for pointing out some of the victories that we already have had here on
this House floor, the Climate Solutions Caucus. That is just the
beginning. There will be plenty more to come as we grow this caucus and
do the work that we are here to do.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Panetta),
a freshman Member who is already making a big splash here getting a lot
done in Washington, working especially on a bipartisan basis on a lot
of these issues, getting some good things done.
Mr. PANETTA. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate Mr. Lipinski's kind words, but
I
[[Page H8380]]
think he and I know best that we had good teachers to help us
understand what it takes to get things done here in the United States
Congress, and, most importantly, that is the ability to work together.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand here today with all of my
colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, who are on the Climate Solutions
Caucus. As you have heard tonight, and as we know, the Climate
Solutions Caucus is a bipartisan caucus that gives Democrats and
Republicans the opportunity to sit down and to discuss ways not only to
protect our environment, but to protect our homes, our Nation's
economy, and our Nation's security.
Yes, this caucus consists of people from separate political parties,
but all of us are united in our belief that we must have this dialogue
to defend our future.
Being from the central coast of California, where we have over 120
miles of stunning coastline in my district, we understand the
vulnerability that comes with rising sea levels, something that can
impact our economy, our security, and, of course, our daily lives.
The co-chairs of the Climate Solutions Caucus, Florida
Representatives Carlos Curbelo and Ted Deutch, they understand and they
appreciate that threat, for earlier this year Florida was pummeled by
Hurricane Irma and the subsequent severe flooding, a storm that
affected the lives of millions of Americans and cost billions in
recovery and cleanup efforts.
We have seen that at times of crisis like that, despite the damage
and despite our differences, our government and even this Congress can
come together and put back together those communities. That is our
government during an emergency, and at times where there are storms,
where there is damage, we are motivated to come together and govern.
This year, my district saw this type of governing due to damage it
suffered during the major winter storms earlier in 2017.
{time} 2045
Every county in my district saw devastation. One county in
particular, Monterey County, suffered an extreme amount of damage--the
town of Big Sur, along the coast of California, in particular. The
northern route of Highway 1, going into Big Sur, suffered a knockout of
a major bridge. The southern route had a major landslide, leaving that
community isolated.
But I can tell you, 2 weeks ago, I stood on the brand-new bridge that
was built. And as I was standing there, to me, it was a story of the
people of Big Sur, very resilient, always coming back from these types
of situations. But it was also the story of government working, people
and government coming together, getting things done to help people.
Now, just prior to that, I had read a New York Times editorial, where
the title of that editorial was, ``We Used to Build Things.'' And it
was by David Brooks, and he talked about this big fire called the Big
Burn, back in the early 1900s, that started in Washington and Oregon
and spread throughout the upper West, all the way into Montana. And
from that devastating fire arose something, and that was the U.S.
Forest Service.
When I read that article, it reminded me that, throughout the history
of this Nation, we have always built things to help people. We have
engineered infrastructure to energize our economy, and we have expanded
agencies to embolden and to empower our communities and the people who
live there.
So now, after the storms on the West Coast, after the flooding in the
Midwest, and after the hurricanes on the East Coast, it is our turn. It
is time for this generation, our generation, to build things in a smart
and resilient fashion, so that future generations are secure and safe
in their homes and in their communities. And we need to start by
focusing on and building infrastructure that is strong and stable to
sustain the inevitable intense storms of the future.
Now, we know, and what has been confirmed by the nonpartisan Federal
Government Accountability Office, that extreme weather events are
already costing U.S. taxpayers billions and billions of dollars each
year. According to that GAO report, the Federal Government spent more
than $350 billion over the last decade on losses to private property
and disaster assistance programs from natural disasters.
Now, that amount doesn't even include the massive price tag on the
recovery effort from this year's hurricanes and fires that are expected
to be amongst the costliest in our Nation's history. And we know that
it is going to get worse as storms are more intense, and recovery
efforts are going to cost more. So we need to recognize and we need to
realize the need for smart rebuilding.
Now, after the 2012 hurricane up in New York, Hurricane Sandy, there
was a Rebuilding Task Force that was put together, and it recommended
that Federal flood protection measures should entail that projects
receiving Federal dollars, they should comply with elevation and flood-
proofing measures to avoid rebuilding them after future storms. The
report wanted to ensure that we do not need to pay multiple times to
repair for flooding damages in flood-impacted areas.
In 2015, the administration put forward the Federal Flood Risk
Management Standard. That was a standard that set out that federally
financed infrastructure projects must be built to withstand future
storms and flooding. That standard was meant to ensure that taxpayer
dollars are spent wisely and communities are protected.
However, in August, this administration decided to roll back the
Federal Flood Risk Management Standard, a decision that was compounded
by its poor timing, as it was announced 2 weeks before the hurricanes
that ripped apart Houston, Florida, and Puerto Rico.
So last month, Congressman Curbelo and I introduced the Federal
Infrastructure Flood Resiliency Act, a bipartisan bill that ensures
that Federal agencies complete implementation of a Federal Flood Risk
Management Standard; such a standard that will not just benefit our
coastal communities, it will help our government, and it will help our
country, because we know that every dollar that is invested in flood
mitigation efforts results in $4 in saved flood recovery costs. This is
something that Republicans and Democrats understand.
After Hurricane Harvey, the Governor of Texas, Mr. Abbott, stated:
``As we go through the build-out phase, and rebuilding Texas, part of
our focus must be on rebuilding in a way that will prevent a disaster
like this from happening again.''
Mr. Speaker, by investing in more resilient project designs, our
communities will be able to recover quickly, and they will be protected
against any future flooding. Taking these prudent steps will save
taxpayer dollars and prevent future loss of life and property. It is a
commonsense step that we can take toward responsible, bipartisanship
governing; and it is this type of governing that needs to happen all
the time.
Now, when I stood on that bridge, and I was there celebrating the
reopening of that bridge, the reopening to Big Sur, I also thought that
this was government at its best, where the government came together, it
responded, it reacted in record fashion, and it reconstructed a major
bridge.
So yes, it made me proud, but it also made me realize that we need to
stop just governing by crisis. We need to start governing with
leadership. We need to come together to get things done, not just in
emergency situations, not just for natural disasters of today, but we
need to start governing for tomorrow.
The Climate Solutions Caucus understands and believes that we, in
Congress, need to lead. We need to do that by coming together. We do
that by talking about the effects of climate change. We do that with
Flood Risk Management Standard legislation, and we don't necessarily do
it for us. We do it for our children.
That is leadership, and that is why I am proud to be on the Climate
Solutions Caucus.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I just want to thank all my
colleagues for their leadership on this issue. The time to take action
on climate is now. We can't leave this problem to future generations to
solve for us. As we heard this evening, there is no shortage of good
ideas for how to do so.
[[Page H8381]]
I want to close by reading the mission statement of the Climate
Solutions Caucus, which reminds us of the many reasons why our
bipartisan group has come together to take action:
``The members of the Climate Solutions Caucus acknowledge the fact
that, if left unaddressed, the consequences of a changing climate have
the potential to adversely affect the health of all Americans and the
strength of our economy, consequently imposing substantial costs on
both State and Federal budgets.
``By seeking to reduce climate risk, we will, in turn, ensure the
protection of our economy, infrastructure, and public safety, all while
attaining energy independence from the world's most volatile regions.
Therefore, it is our goal to take a market-based approach to
substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States in
order to leave a better planet and stronger economy for future
generations.''
Mr. Speaker, this is something that all Americans can endorse and
support. It is a better world and a better country.
So I thank, again, all my colleagues for joining me here tonight, and
for their work, all of the 60 members--30 Democrats, 30 Republicans--
for their work on the Climate Solutions Caucus.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
____________________