[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 11775]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there now be a 
period for the transaction of morning business, with Senators permitted 
to speak for up to 10 minutes each, and that Senator Chambliss be the 
first to be recognized.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there objection?
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, but I 
will not object, I ask to have printed in the Record a statement by 
Senator McCain. If he were here, he would have voted for cloture.
 Mr.McCAIN. Mr. President, today, Senator John McCain released 
the following statement on S. 3036, the Lieberman-Warner Climate 
Security Act of 2008:

       Global climate change is the most important environmental 
     challenge facing not only our nation, but the entire world. I 
     am confident that given the will, the federal government can 
     be a lead advocate for ensuring that America is doing its 
     part to reduce global warming, and join in the global effort 
     that is needed to address this world-wide environmental 
     issue.
       Like many of my colleagues, I believe this legislation 
     needs to be debated, amended, improved, and ultimately, 
     enacted. While my schedule precludes me from being in 
     Washington, DC, tomorrow to cast my vote, if I were able, I 
     would vote to invoke cloture on the substitute amendment. 
     That does not mean I believe the pending bill is perfect, and 
     in fact, it is far from it. For example, the provisions to 
     impose Davis Bacon mandates should be removed. Most 
     importantly, it must include provisions championed by Senator 
     Graham and myself that would ensure that nuclear power, a 
     proven and clean energy source, is included among the 
     technologies supported in our efforts to address global 
     warming. Nuclear energy is an emission-free source of 
     electricity for the nation, which is why it simply must be 
     part of the comprehensive solution to addressing climate 
     change, and if it is not, I could not support the 
     legislation's final passage.
       Unfortunately, despite the commitment and tireless efforts 
     of the bill sponsors, Senators Lieberman and Warner, it 
     appears that for now, the Senate, at the direction of the 
     Majority Leader, will choose to put politics above policy, 
     and Congress will fail to act yet again on this critical 
     issue. But rest assured, we will not give up until we finally 
     succeed in enacting needed, comprehensive cap and trade 
     legislation to address this urgent problem.

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from California.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I thank our colleagues. I wish to say, in 
addition to the names Senator Warner put in yesterday, we had 
statements from Senators Obama, Clinton, Biden, and Kennedy, which 
means if all had been here, the vote would have been 54 votes. We are 
very pleased with this and we thank them very much.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Georgia.

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