[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1550]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1140
                         CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL

  (Ms. MATSUI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, for far too long our country has ignored the 
blatant warning signals that climate change is real, and its effects 
are happening all around us, from droughts to wildfires to extreme 
flooding. The time to act is now. Numerous reports indicate that we are 
dangerously close to losing the window of opportunity in which we can 
meaningfully address climate change.
  My district of Sacramento has already been working hard to implement 
commonsense policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By 
developing cutting-edge clean energy technology and creating energy 
retrofit programs, my constituents understand the urgent need to tackle 
this issue head-on.
  Now is the time for Congress to follow their lead and show that we, 
too, are committed to mitigating and reversing the devastating effects 
of climate change. Failure to heed new warnings and take action will 
have drastic economic and environmental effects, not just for our 
generation, but for our children and grandchildren. The time to act is 
now.

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