[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 4939-4941]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             CLIMATE CHANGE

  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, the distinguished majority leader, the 
senior Senator from Kentucky, is resolutely opposed to any serious 
conversation about climate change. Under his leadership, the Republican 
Party in the Senate has exactly zero legislation for addressing carbon 
pollution in any serious way. The majority leader has even written to 
Governors around the country urging defiance of the climate change 
regulations of the U.S. Government, namely, the Environmental 
Protection Agency's forthcoming clean power plan to cut presently 
unregulated carbon pollution from our powerplants.
  I thought I should take a look at what Kentucky is doing about 
climate change. It turns out that Kentucky is

[[Page 4940]]

already crafting a plan for complying with President Obama's clean 
power plan. Why are they doing that? In a statement, the Kentucky 
Energy and Environment Cabinet said it was because ``the overwhelming 
majority of our stakeholders are telling us to make preparations to 
submit a plan.''
  The overwhelming majority of Kentucky stakeholders are telling the 
State of Kentucky to submit a plan. Kentucky has an energy and 
environment secretary. His name is Dr. Len Peters. Dr. Peters does not 
mock or disparage the EPA. Indeed, he praised the EPA at a recent 
national climate change conference for the flexibility and openness of 
its rulemaking process. Dr. Peters began his talk by saying, ``I'm from 
Kentucky and I'm not a climate science denier.''
  Setting aside compliance with the administration's clean power plan, 
Kentucky actually had its own climate action plan, written all the way 
back in 2011. The Kentucky climate action plan sets forth more than 40 
actions to address climate change. It would reduce Kentucky's 
greenhouse gas emissions by 1.3 billion metric tons between 2011 and 
2030.
  The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife within that climate 
action plan has its wildlife action plan. The wildlife action plan 
opens its chapter on climate change by quoting the Intergovernmental 
Panel on Climate Change. Around here a lot of fun is sometimes made of 
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, at least on the other 
side of the aisle. But Kentucky's Department of Fish and Wildlife 
quotes them as follows: ``[W]arming of the climate system is 
unequivocal.''
  That is the Commonwealth of Kentucky, quoting the Intergovernmental 
Panel on Climate Change.
  The Kentucky wildlife action plan goes on to report that--and I will 
quote it again--``Climate change has the potential to exacerbate 
existing conservation threats . . . in Kentucky by altering both 
terrestrial and aquatic systems.''
  As you know, I am from the Ocean State. I am very concerned about 
what climate change is doing to our oceans and what it is doing to our 
coasts. Kentucky is landlocked. So imagine my surprise to read the 
Kentucky wildlife action plan's discussion of sea level rise. Sure 
enough, it is in there. Here is what the Kentucky wildlife action plan 
says about sea level rise: ``With the predicted increases in severity 
of hurricanes and tropical storms, coupled with potential shoreline 
losses in Florida and throughout the eastern seaboard, people may begin 
migrations inland,'' it says. It continues, ``If and when these events 
occur, Kentucky may experience human population growth unprecedented to 
the Commonwealth.''
  That is Kentucky's statement on this. I hope the majority leader will 
appreciate why I am so insistent that we tackle this climate change 
problem when his own home State projects that people in our coastal 
States will be so grievously affected by climate change that we may 
have to flee to landlocked Kentucky.
  The State government of Kentucky is not alone. Kentucky's cities--
Lexington, Louisville, Frankfurt, Bowling Green, and Villa Hills--have 
signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, quoting the city 
of Lexington, ``to act locally to reduce the impacts of climate change 
by lowering (manmade) greenhouse gas emissions.''
  Lexington, KY, actually proudly notes that the Sierra Club has 
designated Lexington a cool city for signing the U.S. mayors agreement. 
Maybe in time the Sierra Club will designate Kentucky's senior Senator 
a cool Senator. Here is hoping.
  Even fossil fuel companies in Kentucky get it. Columbia Gas of 
Kentucky has a climate change link on its Web site that says ``Meeting 
the Climate Challenge.'' Columbia Gas of Kentucky pledges to ``address 
climate change issues through business activities which promote 
sustained economic growth in a manner consistent with [our] 
environmental obligations.'' Columbia Gas of Kentucky also pledges to 
``promote adoption of reasonable policies addressing climate change,'' 
including ``appropriately crafted legislation on climate change.'' 
Regrettably, their Kentucky Senators have responded with exactly no 
legislation on climate change, appropriate or otherwise.
  Local Kentucky news station WFPL brought on a climate scientist from 
NASA not too long ago who said that scientists have exhaustively 
studied the numerous signs of climate change--the warming oceans, the 
melting glaciers, the changing temperatures--and narrowed it down, and 
the only culprit to explain what is happening is increases in mankind's 
carbon emissions. The NASA scientist on the Kentucky radio station 
compared it to the TV show ``CSI.'' He said, ``We've looked at all the 
different suspects . . . and there's only one suspect that's still in 
the picture,'' and that is human carbon emissions.
  Kentucky Woodlands Magazine reports that ``the world is changing 
right before our eyes. . . . our natural systems are changing as a 
result of a warming climate.'' Indeed, the author says that ``we are 
experiencing some of the `predicted' effects today.'' They include an 
observed shift in Kentucky wildflower seasons. The article warns that 
``climate change is happening as you read this article,'' and it 
describes the result as ``global climate weirdness.''
  One thing we know about Kentucky is that it is renowned for its 
horses. So I turned to Horse & Rider magazine and found an article on 
climate change and horses' health. The article noted climate change's 
effects, including ``more intense extreme weather events and the 
altered timing, intensity and distribution of precipitation.''
  Horse & Rider magazine asked the question of ``how climate change 
might affect our horses' health.'' For the answer to that question, 
Horse & Rider magazine turned to Dr. Craig Carter of--guess what--the 
University of Kentucky, who said, ``It's a scary thing to watch.'' 
Because ``climate change affects all forms of life,'' he said, 
``mosquitoes, ticks, flies and other insects are moving northward'' in 
describing how that move affects crops and trees and disease vectors 
such as West Nile virus. This University of Kentucky expert cited 
specific concerns for equine health, but he also offered this reminder: 
``It's not just horses (and people) at risk; crops are being affected, 
as are trees, due to beetle infestations. Climate change affects all 
forms of life.''
  Since so many of my Senate colleagues say they are not scientists, I 
concluded my Kentucky review where scientists gather: at Kentucky's 
universities. Paul Vincelli is a professor at the University of 
Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. He says:

       In the scientific community, it is widely accepted that the 
     global climate is changing and the human activities which 
     produce greenhouse gases are a principal cause. Greenhouse 
     gases have a strong capacity to trap heat in the lower 
     atmosphere, even though they are present at trace 
     concentrations.

  Dr. Vincelli concludes:

       This trapped heat is driving many of the recent changes in 
     the Earth's climate, including rising temperatures in the 
     oceans, on Earth's surface, and in the lower atmosphere.

  Dr. Vincelli, University of Kentucky.
  Another University of Kentucky summary produced by Vincelli and his 
colleagues says this:

       Scientific evidence that our global climate is warming is 
     abundant . . . Practicing scientists consider the evidence of 
     human-induced global warming to be extremely strong.

  The University of Kentucky climate summary said:

       In fact, 97 to 98 percent of the most knowledgeable 
     experts--scientists who actively publish research papers in 
     climate science--are convinced that global warming is 
     occurring and is caused primarily by human activities.

  They go on to note that ``a consensus of 97 to 98 percent . . . is 
remarkable.''
  That summary adds the following warning:

       Regardless of what you may read on blogs or in the media, 
     there is almost no meaningful scientific controversy on these 
     points.

  There is just the controversy here in Congress.
  Let's now move on to Kentucky State University. Kentucky State 
University is pleased to appoint a climate

[[Page 4941]]

change fellowship to ``engage college students in climate change 
education and action'' and to provide ``in-depth training on climate 
change, how to best teach the basics of climate change.'' Maybe a 
little of that around here might be in order.
  Over at Western Kentucky University, they host the Kentucky Climate 
Center, which is the State climate office for Kentucky, on their campus 
in Bowling Green.
  Eastern Kentucky University offers concentrations in environmental 
sustainability and stewardship, including courses on global climate 
change, and its Environmental Research Institute's Web site on climate 
change links you right to the IPCC work on climate change that is so 
often derided here in Congress. Obviously, Eastern Kentucky University 
doesn't think the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is 
unreliable.
  Northern Kentucky University does even better. Former Northern 
Kentucky University president James Votruba signed the American College 
and University Presidents' Climate Commitment, pledging Northern 
Kentucky University to ``an initiative in pursuit of climate 
neutrality,'' i.e., having ``no net greenhouse gas emissions,'' if 
necessary by ``using carbon offsets or other measures to mitigate the 
remaining emissions.'' In 2010, Northern Kentucky University adopted an 
action plan calling on every department and all members of the Northern 
Kentucky University community to do their part to help the university 
achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
  My tour of Kentucky's great centers of higher learning leads me to 
one last Kentucky university--one that is unique in that its Web page 
display of notable alumni includes none other than our distinguished 
majority leader, Senator McConnell. This is the University of 
Louisville.
  The University of Louisville goes out of its way to expose its 
students to the reality of climate change. Professor Keith Mountain is 
chair of the University of Louisville Department of Geography and 
Geosciences. He has lectured on ``Stewardship in a Time of Global 
Climate Change,'' a talk about ``how climate change is a measurable 
reality and how people have contributed to the trends.'' That is the 
chair of the University of Louisville Department of Geography and 
Geosciences.
  The University of Louisville has also brought in Lonnie Dupre, 
``mountain climber, polar explorer, and a climate change activist,'' to 
describe for University of Louisville students ``his personal witness 
of the detrimental effects of global climate change over 25 years of 
polar exploring.'' They brought in prize-winning ecologist Diana Wall 
for a University of Louisville Biology Department lecture series to 
talk about ``fragile soil systems and their role in climate change.''
  University of Louisville students have been involved, too, in Climate 
Change Teach-Ins, where students, faculty, and staff join together ``to 
inform, inspire and educate others about the climate change crisis.'' 
One student concluded, ``The university needs more events similar to 
the teach-in to raise awareness about climate change.'' I hope they 
will consider raising awareness among their alumni as well.
  Let me close this discussion with two slides that were prepared for 
Kentucky's Governor's Conference on Energy and the Environment for a 
presentation on ``Kentucky and the President's Climate Action Plan.'' 
This is a depiction of our country's energy mix broken out by 
renewables, natural gas, coal, petroleum, hydroelectric, and nuclear. 
We can see there are a lot of layers in the cake. This layer represents 
coal in the U.S. energy mix as of 2012. This is Kentucky's energy mix. 
As we can see, it is a black wall of coal. Even Wyoming, which produces 
more than four times as much coal as Kentucky, has a more diverse 
energy mix than this. Could they do better? I think so.
  There is a song called ``Warm Kentucky Sunshine.'' Kentucky has a 
town named Sunshine. There is even a cocktail called a Kentucky 
Sunshine. But we would never know it from their energy mix. That is one 
of the reasons that Kentucky's efforts to prepare for the Clean Power 
Plan are so promising.
  So before our distinguished majority leader, the senior Senator from 
Kentucky, asks all of the other States to throw in the towel on 
conforming to the U.S. Government's plan for dealing with carbon 
pollution, I would ask that he acknowledge that his own State 
recognizes climate change as a problem and as an opportunity and that 
Kentucky is trying to do something about it.
  As to the possibilities, ask Senator Grassley, whose State has 28 
percent wind energy. Look at Kentucky's mix. Iowa has 28 percent wind 
energy.
  As to the possibilities, the distinguished majority leader could ask 
his deputy majority leader, Senator Cornyn of Texas, whose home State 
has more than 10 percent wind energy and a solar industry providing 
more than 330 megawatts, more than 7,000 jobs, and rapid growth.
  I hope Kentucky doesn't decide to change its present course and to 
throw in the towel without even trying. We can do this.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland.

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