[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9107]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     INTRODUCTION OF THE PARIS ACT

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                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 12, 2017

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, the president 
announced that he would withdraw from the non-binding Paris Agreement, 
undermining the credibility of the United States and displaying a 
complete disregard for the effects of climate change. This is 
unacceptable.
  Climate change is real. We are already experiencing rising sea levels 
and harsher storms at an accelerated pace, and without action, they are 
only going to get worse. Poll after poll show that the majority of 
American people support staying in the Paris Agreement, and the 
scientific community has reached a clear consensus that climate change 
is largely caused by human activity. In the face of these facts, the 
president continues to undermine environmental protections and reject 
the science of climate change.
  The American people should not be responsible for bailing out leaders 
who ignore science to gain political points, while subjecting the 
United States--and the rest of the world--to the catastrophic effects 
of climate change. That's why today I am introducing the Prohibiting 
Aid for Recipients Ignoring Science Act, or the PARIS Act, to ensure 
that any president has a stake in the catastrophic consequences of 
ignoring climate science.
  The PARIS Act would prevent properties owned by the president's 
family from receiving federally subsidized flood insurance from the 
National Flood Insurance Program. The president should not be able to 
shift costs to taxpayers as he does business in flood-prone areas while 
withdrawing from efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in working to give the president a 
stake in this fight and to take serious action on addressing climate 
change. The fate of our children, our grandchildren, and the planet 
depends on it.

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