[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 153 (Thursday, September 22, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4964-S4965]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

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                       TREATY DOCUMENT NO. 117-1

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, today I rise to celebrate the 
Senate's ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocols 
to phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbons, also known as HFCs. Not 
only did this critical amendment receive resounding bipartisan support, 
it also marked our Nation's participation in the most significant 
climate treaty in 30 years.
  Across the country, there have been alarming examples of extreme 
weather. Parts of California are blanketed in black smoke from 
wildfires, many Kentuckians are still without homes as a result of 
flooding in July, and Hurricane Fiona left millions of Puerto Ricans 
without power. And around the world, we have seen a devastating drought 
in East Africa, Greenland's ice sheet's largest September melt event on 
record, and flooding in Pakistan that left a third of the country 
underwater. It is clear that climate change isn't something that's 
happening 100 years in the future, it's happening now.
  That is why our ratification of the Kigali Amendment is so critical. 
HFCs are particularly potent greenhouse gasses, disproportionately 
responsible for rising temperatures that are linked to catastrophic 
weather events. By joining the effort to reduce global HFC consumption 
and production by 80 percent by 2047, we can help prevent 0.5 degrees C 
of warming by the end of this century.
  In addition to helping the planet, phasing out the use of HFCs in 
common consumer products like refrigerators and air-conditioners will 
deliver clear benefits to the American people in the form of lower 
energy bills. It also creates huge opportunities for U.S. businesses 
that have developed green alternatives to HFCs to reach global markets. 
This is one of the many situations where what is good for our planet is 
also good for consumers and businesses.
  The ratification of the Kigali Amendment builds on the progress our 
country made with the enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act, which 
included provisions to tackle the climate crisis. Because of this law, 
we are on track to reduce carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2030. It 
was a huge step, but we still have more work to do to become a

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completely carbon neutral economy by 2050.
  To keep paving the way to our clean energy future, I introduced 
several pieces of legislation to accelerate our energy transition, 
including the HEATR Act, to drive manufacturing of heat pumps and the 
Energy Efficiency for Affordable Housing Act to make it easier for 
people living in affordable housing to invest in more efficient 
systems.
  With the ratification of the Kigali Amendment, we are asserting our 
global leadership in the fight to combat climate change. Working on the 
national and international level, we can mitigate the worst impacts of 
climate change while generating benefits for the American people and 
opportunities for American businesses.

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