[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 4797]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, today the Senate Energy and Natural 
Resources Committee is holding a conference to delve into some of the 
policy questions that have delayed efforts to move forward with 
legislation addressing global warming. As many Americans have 
realized--even in the face of an absolute void of leadership from this 
current administration--one of the greatest challenges currently facing 
us is how to reduce our contributions to global climate change before 
it is too late for changes to matter. In fact, the majority of the 
American public believes that they have an individual role to play in 
being a part of the solution. And the public is looking to us, their 
elected leaders, to provide the framework for change.
  As many people know, Senators Lieberman and McCain have been the 
longtime champions of raising awareness of global warming. Today's 
conference, under the leadership of Senators Domenici and Bingaman, 
demonstrates that more and more elected officials are willing to take a 
stand in recognizing the imminent need for action. Along with my 
constituents, I hope that the time will soon come when a majority of 
the U.S. Congress is willing to follow their lead.
  On the heels of today's conference, another Senate committee is 
scheduled to consider the issue of global warming. Tomorrow, the 
Commerce Committee's Global Climate Change and Impacts Subcommittee 
will hear about the administration's approach to the issue. While the 
administration favors developing and sharing new zero and low-carbon 
technologies with developing nations, I submit that our citizens are 
looking for bold action that addresses more than how we will help 
developing countries--they want to know what we plan to do 
domestically.
  Mr. President, if there ever was a time when it was all right to 
ignore global warming, that time has long passed. We have got to get 
real about this issue--and getting real will require a commitment to 
reducing our dependence on oil instead of continually talking about 
opening up a wildlife refuge for oil drilling. For, if we continue 
turning our backs on the reality of climate change, we might as well be 
turning our backs on our grandchildren--and this is why I am optimistic 
that the Senate's treatment of global warming is nearing its own 
tipping point, a point after which we will provide the leadership that 
our constituents are increasingly expecting from us.

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