[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 52 (Tuesday, March 26, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1963-S1964]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              S.J. Res. 9

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, we shortly will be voting on cloture on a 
Senate resolution.
  As I understand it, a Senate resolution in regards to a policy issue 
is basically trying to express the Senate's collective views on a 
policy issue without implementing the legislation itself. If we are 
going to take up such a resolution, we should take up one that can get 
broad consensus here in the Senate. Although the Green New Deal has 
support, it certainly will not have consensus in this body at this 
time.
  Therefore, I urge the leader to bring up S.J. Res. 9, introduced by 
my colleague Senator Carper, which deals with climate change with three 
specific issues that I think all of us should be able to agree on: one, 
that climate change is real and it is happening; second, that our 
conduct here on Earth is a major factor in accelerating climate 
change's activities, leading to the types of extreme weather we have 
seen around the world; and, third, that it is urgent that we take 
action to mitigate the impact of climate change.
  Climate change is real. I represent the State of Maryland, with 3,000 
miles of shoreline in my State. I see it in flooding and shoreline 
erosion. I see the impact it has on the Chesapeake Bay, which is iconic 
to my State and to our economy. Climate change is having an impact--a 
negative impact. I see it in communities such as Ellicott City, which 
experienced two 100-year floods within 20 months, just recently, and 
cost loss of life and property. I see the impact it has on our 
environment and on our economy.
  Clearly, our activities are having a significant impact on 
accelerating climate change. Carbon emissions, greenhouse gas 
emissions, and the use of fossil fuels have had an impact on 
accelerating that. We use too much energy, and we get too much of our 
energy from sources that are not friendly toward the issue of 
greenhouse gas emissions.
  Third is the urgency. An October 2018 report from the United Nations' 
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change made clear that it is urgent 
that we deal with climate change now and that science tells us that we 
can reverse the most extreme impact of climate change. We can mitigate 
the impact of climate change if we take action--if we act now--on this 
issue.
  The Trump administration is an outlier in the global community in 
dealing with the realities of climate change. Every other nation in the 
world--every other nation in the world--has acknowledged that we need 
to act as a civilized world, that we need to work together, and that 
there is no geographical boundary as to dealing with climate change.
  The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change met in 
December of 2015. I was there with 9 of my colleagues, in Paris, where 
195 nations agreed to deal with climate change. I was proud to be part 
of the U.S. delegation. Now we have left those discussions, and we are 
alone.
  This is too important and too urgent of an issue to play partisan 
games with, and that is exactly what the majority leader is trying to 
do today. We need to commit to work together, Democrats and 
Republicans, in the U.S. Senate to restore the U.S. leadership on this 
key issue, knowing full well that America's full leadership is 
desperately needed in order to deal with these issues, and we need to 
make sure that we take action.
  More than passing a resolution, let's start with legislation that 
will really make a difference on climate change and commit much 
stronger to renewable energy, rather than using fossil fuels to the 
extent that we do today. Let's put a price on carbon to allow the U.S. 
market economy to figure out the solution for reducing the amount of 
fossil fuels. Let's commit to conservation in our buildings and the way 
we

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deal with auto fuel efficiencies. That type of action will make a real 
difference and will follow in the best traditions of the U.S. Senate in 
providing leadership for the United States to work with the global 
community to solve a global problem.
  I urge my colleagues: Let's work together on issues to make a 
difference and stop playing partisan politics.
  I yield the floor.

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