[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 159 (Tuesday, September 15, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S5579]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                               Wildfires

  Madam President, now on another topic, wildfires: For the last 
several weeks, much of the American West has been ravaged by a historic 
wave of wildfires. At least 35 people have been killed. Thousands of 
homes have been destroyed. Over 5 million acres of land have been 
incinerated, roughly the size of Rhode Island and Connecticut combined. 
The sky glows with ghastly shades of red and orange.
  It is impossible to have a serious conversation about these wildfires 
without talking about climate change. We know that climate change 
contributes to the frequency of these fires. We know it accelerates 
their destructive power. Six of the 20 largest fires in California 
history have happened this year alone. Heat waves and dry air make 
these disasters more likely.
  These past few years have been some of the hottest and driest on 
record, but at a press conference yesterday with FEMA and California 
State officials, President Trump brushed aside any possibility that 
climate change had an effect, suggesting idiotically that the planet 
will ``start getting cooler; you just watch.''
  This is just like what he did with COVID. He tries to deny it, and he 
makes it worse. He encourages people to ignore it, and the problem 
grows.
  When the head of the California Natural Resources Agency told the 
President that science disagreed with him, the President said: ``I 
don't think science knows.'' This exchange where the President said 
``It'll start getting cooler; you just watch,'' when he was upbraided 
by a scientific expert and says ``I don't think science knows'' 
captures everything you need to know about President Trump's grasp of 
basic scientific facts--and especially the science of climate change.
  Without a shred of evidence or knowledge, President Trump said that 
our planet will just ``start getting cooler.'' It is just like his 
attitude toward this pandemic, which he promised would magically 
disappear.
  You would think the situation would be better here in Congress, but, 
regrettably, the Republican Senate doesn't seem to take the threat of 
climate change seriously either. The Republican majority has had 6 
years in charge of the Senate to show that they want to make progress 
on climate change but have done next to nothing--next to nothing--to 
curb emissions or protect our environment from the damaging effects of 
a warming planet.
  The only time Republicans even brought up climate change legislation 
was when Leader McConnell scheduled a sham vote on a climate bill so 
his own Members could vote against it. That is right. The only climate 
bill Leader McConnell has brought to the floor is a bill he wanted his 
Members to vote against.
  Democrats, on the other hand, believe protecting our planet is a 
moral obligation. Senate Democrats created the first-ever Senate 
special committee to study the climate crisis. We have committed to 
creating clean energy jobs and building resiliency in any 
infrastructure bill.
  I have introduced legislation called Clean Cars for America that 
would make all vehicles on the road carbon-neutral by 2040, and we have 
committed to creating at least 10 million new clean energy jobs and 
dedicating 40 percent of climate funding to environmental justice and 
the disadvantaged and communities of color.
  Just last week, I joined with Senator Markey and many grassroots 
organizations to introduce the THRIVE resolution, calling for millions 
of new jobs in renewable energy and making new investments in Black, 
Hispanic, and indigenous communities so that clean air, clean water, 
and clean energy are not privileges for the wealthy few but abundant 
for all.
  This is about protecting our planet so that our kids and grandkids 
can live in a world with clean air, clean water, and the same kinds of 
opportunities we grew up with.
  Republicans have had 6 years in the Senate to show they are serious 
about the defining crisis of our time, something that, over the years, 
will be even worse than COVID--much worse--and they have failed to take 
any action, just like they did on COVID: no action. Democrats would not 
make the same mistake again. We will not delay on climate the way 
Republicans have delayed on COVID and not done what is needed.
  I yield the floor.