[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 23]
[House]
[Page 31009]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE TREATY IS NEEDED

  (Mr. TONKO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the 15th United 
Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, that is 
currently underway.
  First, Mr. Speaker, I wholly reject false notions and political 
attacks attempting to destroy sound science and evidence. This issue, 
from its environmental to its energy and economic impacts, is too 
important for false political attacks and deceitful op-eds and letters 
to the editor.
  The Copenhagen discussions are about responsible governments coming 
together to negotiate an international climate treaty to better our 
environmental and energy outcomes, not to mention creating a fair 
marketplace in which the world's economies will indeed compete.
  There is a global race today, a race for a clean energy economy, the 
outcome of which will allow the winner to export clean energy intellect 
and expertise. Other countries are passing us by in this race. Like the 
space race of decades ago, we must come together as a Nation bound by 
the common goals of reducing global emissions, bettering our energy 
outcome, and enhancing our economy. The future of our Nation depends on 
us.

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