[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 164 (Thursday, October 17, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S5889]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              S.J. RES. 53

 Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss S.J. 
Res. 53, the resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review 
Act on the Environmental Protection Agency's Affordable Clean Energy, 
ACE rule. I fully support passage of the resolution.
  Every week seems to bring fresh evidence of the damage climate change 
is causing to our environment and economy. Increasing floods, 
heatwaves, droughts, hurricanes, and snowstorms have wreaked havoc on 
communities across the country. We cannot continue to ignore that 
climate change is already happening all around us. We must take 
immediate action.
  The Obama administration's Clean Power Plan established Federal 
standards for emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel-fired power 
plants. The plan set achievable carbon emissions reduction targets of 
32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030 to be reached by reducing emissions 
from coal-fired power plants, shifting energy generation from fossil 
fuels to renewable sources, and promoting energy conservation. The 
Clean Power Plan not only helped drive the transition of our energy 
generation to cleaner sources, it also served as the centerpiece of 
U.S. efforts to lead the world in addressing climate change through the 
Paris Climate Agreement.
  The administration's rule would take us backward by repealing the 
emissions reduction targets in the Clean Power Plan and replacing them 
with less ambitious targets based on narrow energy efficiency 
improvements that also wholly exempt natural gas-fired power plants. It 
is clear that the new rules will likely result in more carbon 
pollution, halt the accelerated trends toward low- and zero-carbon 
energy, and have dire implications for our air quality and public 
health.
  For these reasons, I oppose the administration's rule and support 
passage of Senator Cardin's resolution--S.J. Res. 53--to disapprove of 
it.
  Thank you.
  (At the request of Mr. Schumer, the following statement was ordered 
to be printed in the Record.)

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