Climate Change

Floor Speech

CLIMATE CHANGE -- (Senate - October 15, 2009)

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I have the honor of chairing the United States Helsinki Commission, representing the Senate. The Helsinki Commission is the U.S. participation in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Fifty-six countries representing Europe, Central Asia, Canada, and the United States got together in 1975 in order to further advancements in security, in human rights, and in economics.

We had our full meeting in Athens this past weekend, and the center subject for that meeting was climate change and the need for the international community to come together to enact meaningful goals for reducing greenhouse gases and carbon emissions. It was clear, from the urgency of this mission, that we need to act now; that the circumstances of floods and droughts in so many parts of the world are causing immediate concern. We now have what is known as climate migrants--people who are forced to leave their countries because of the impact of global climate change. This is causing serious concerns in many parts of the world in regard to stability and security, which affects U.S. interests.

I know each of us in our own States can give our own examples of the impact of climate change. In my State of Maryland, the residents of Smith Island understand that their island is disappearing during their lifetime because of sea level changes, due in part to global climate change. The watermen in Maryland know their livelihood is being jeopardized because of the warming of the Chesapeake Bay, affecting sea grasses, which affects the ability of the blue crab to survive. So we all know the immediate impact.

But in Athens it became apparent to the international community that we need to act now. We need to act now for the sake of our security, we need to act now because of the economic imperative, and we need to act now because of the environmental risk. The good news is it was apparent to all of us that there is a common solution. If we deal with our energy issues, we can solve all three of those problems.

We can strengthen our economies, particularly in these difficult times, by creating good new jobs; we can deal with international security threats, when one nation threatens to cut off its oil or gas to another country; or the fact that so many places in the world that have the mineral wealth have values that are different than our values and we are actually helping to support their values; and for the environmental need of making sure that we deal with global climate change in future generations and we work together.

The question that was asked at this meeting was: Where is the United States? Where is the leadership from the strongest Nation in the world? Well, my reply was: The United States is back. We are ready to assume international leadership on global climate change issues.

The Obama administration has already taken action. They have taken action on CAFE standards for automobiles. They have taken action through the Environmental Protection Agency. It is clear that we are ready to act. The House of Representatives has already passed legislation, and Senator Kerry and Senator Boxer have brought forward the Clean Energy Jobs and the American Power Act, and I am proud to be part of that effort and that legislation. That legislation builds on the work done in the last Congress with Senator Lieberman and Senator Warner, and it is very similar to the bill that has passed the House of Representatives.

What that legislation will do is to reestablish U.S. leadership on international efforts to deal with global climate change. The legislation would establish a 20-percent reduction by the year 2020. That is stronger than in the House bill and it establishes America as a leader. It dedicates investment toward domestic clean energy and 21st century infrastructure by providing the necessary investments in wind and solar. These technologies were developed in the United States and now it is time for us to put that technology to work creating jobs in America and alternative renewable energy sources that will wean us off the need for imported oil.

The legislation also dedicates funds for other types of green transportation, which we know can be very valuable. Green transportation represents 30 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions and 70 percent of our oil. We can do much better. I am personally working very hard to promote additional funding sources for public transportation. You can't help, when you travel to Europe, but know that their models are much stronger than ours in transporting people through public transportation. I happen to represent two of the most congested urban areas in our country--Baltimore and Washington. Both have transit systems that are in need of expansion. By doubling the ridership on public transportation, we can reduce our imported oil by 40 percent alone.

This legislation is friendly toward alternative energy sources and nuclear energy, which has a very favorable carbon footprint. It also creates jobs. We know that we can create four times as many jobs here in America by investing in green energy rather than in oil or gas. Japan also knows that. They have been investing in renewable energy sources. Germany knows that. They are investing today because they know it is good for jobs. China knows that. They are investing today. They are going forward with these programs for alternative and renewable energy sources in wind and solar and many other areas, because they know that is where the competition will be tomorrow, and they are going to be prepared. We also need to be prepared.

The legislation Senator Kerry and Senator Boxer have brought forward protects the consumers, making sure that in our transition we don't add to the cost of the typical consumer in America. It also helps industries that are very dependent today on carbon energy sources. It helps them in transition so they can transition to the new energy of tomorrow. It invests in clean coal. We have plenty of coal, but it emits too much carbon. Well, this bill invests in figuring out how we can use coal in an environmentally friendly way.

The legislation also deals with our international responsibilities. As a developed nation, we have a responsibility to developing countries. They have already been impacted much more adversely than we due to the impacts of global climate change. We need to strengthen their ability and resolve to protect our forests, to be good stewards of our environment, and to help them deal with development. The bill also provides for wildlife--to preserve wildlife.

One last part about the Kerry-Boxer bill. It is deficit neutral. It will not add any additional debt for future generations. This is truly a bill that my two granddaughters, that all our children and grandchildren will benefit from by having a cleaner environment, a safer country through energy security, good jobs for the future, and all without adding to the deficit.

I reminded my colleagues in Athens that for Copenhagen to be successful, we need to have a bill that sets reasonable targets, absolutely--short term and long term. We have to have the mechanisms that get us to those targets in place in Copenhagen. We also have to have the financing to help the developing countries, and we also have to have enforcement. We have to have enforcement.

What do I mean by that? Well, we are not going to accomplish our goals if the United States does everything it does to reduce carbon emissions but we find other countries don't do that and then they send their products here to America at a cheaper price. That is unfair to U.S. manufacturers and producers, and it doesn't accomplish our international goals of bringing down carbon emissions. So what I have suggested is that in Copenhagen there needs to be a mechanism that says if your country does not meet the international standards, your products are subject to a border adjustment reflective of the cost to bring that product in compliance with international carbon standards. That is fair to the manufacturers in those countries that have met those standards, and it also permits us to make sure that other countries in fact do act to deal with their international responsibilities.

I am optimistic. I am optimistic we are going to be able to achieve these results. The urgency of the issue requires us to act. We have Senator Kerry and Senator Boxer who have brought forward a reasonable bill, and hearings are scheduled before the Environment and Public Works Committee later this month.

Recently Senator Kerry and Senator Graham have gotten together on a blueprint on how we can move forward on global climate change legislation in this Congress, and they bring up two subjects I have already mentioned--the use of nuclear power in America, which clearly needs to be

In Copenhagen, in December, we need to achieve the international results that are the strongest in setting these goals and mechanisms in place. I am confident that America will be a leader in Copenhagen, and a leader in bringing forward responsible legislation to deal with energy.

For those who say we should go slow, let me tell you, reviving our economy is intrinsically linked to rethinking how we solve our energy challenges. Investing in new technology creates new jobs. Diversifying our energy sources creates competition, stabilizing and lowering energy prices. And thinking beyond fossil fuel buried in unstable and unreliable countries makes us all more secure. Our dependence on old ways, old patterns, and old resources puts us at a financial and national security disadvantage. Those same fossil fuels we burn to drive our cars, power our homes and heat and treat our water are polluting our air, making our children sick, and raising our planet's temperature. The good news is that in solving our energy security challenge, we can also grow our economy and clean our environment.

But let's remember that any deals we reach in Copenhagen and any laws we pass here are but the beginning. The work must continue with earnest follow-through dedicated to truly changing the way we work and live and move around this Earth.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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