[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1938]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
 PRESIDENT BUSH EXPECTED TO SPEAK OUT ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING TONIGHT AND 
                              NEEDS TO ACT

  (Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, over the last week, we have heard that 
President Bush is finally going to admit tonight what most of us have 
known for many years, that global warming is actually occurring and 
that we as a Nation need to take action.
  Tonight's expected pronouncement from the President is welcome news, 
but it does not excuse the administration's past record on global 
warming. Over the last 6 years the Bush administration has served as a 
major roadblock to reversing dangerous warming trends. The President 
walked away from international efforts to help reduce the growing 
danger to our planet, refusing to actually lead on this critically 
important issue.
  In my home State of New Jersey, we are proud of the fact that former 
Governor Richard J. Codey took decisive action over a year ago to 
strengthen our State's efforts to combat global warming by classifying 
carbon dioxide as an air contaminant. This action made New Jersey one 
of the first States in the Union to take such a step. By contrast, the 
Bush administration has been in constant denial that environmental 
dangers to our planet exist. So, therefore, we hope that the Nation 
will take this seriously.

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