Safe Act

Floor Speech

Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, from the beaches of Rhode Island to the glaciers of Montana, natural ecosystems provide us with life's essentials: clean air and water, crops and timber, recreation and lots of local pride.

Rhode Island's oceans and coasts, for example, are spawning grounds, nurseries, and shelters for nutritious and profitable fish and shellfish. Their natural buffers protect our coastal communities from storms and filter our water. They even provide clean, renewable energy. And, of course, the coastline of the Ocean State boasts world-class beaches.

But climate change threatens to rob us of these essentials. The Government Accountability Office confirms what Americans see with their own eyes: our Nation's ecosystems are at risk from ongoing changes, including--and I will quote GAO: ``increases in air and water temperatures, wildfires, and drought; forests stressed by drought becoming more vulnerable to insect infestations; rising sea levels; and reduced snow cover and retreating glaciers.''

This warning comes from a report released last week on climate change adaptation efforts in Federal agencies. Senator BAUCUS and I requested this report because of the risk climate change poses to our natural resources and our national economy.

Climate change is not something we can fix later, and it is not something that only will happen to future generations, although our children and grandchildren will surely pay a heavier price.

Scientists tell us that the carbon pollution we have already emitted has locked in changes in the coming decades to our atmosphere, oceans, and weather. So while we must take up the challenge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we must also begin to adapt, and secure our natural resources against the changes we can no longer avoid.

In this report, GAO examined the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Bureau of Land Management.

It found that while planning for changes in resource conditions is a main part of the mission of these agencies, addressing the effects of climate change is not. In fact, BLM, which manages 245 million acres of land, has not yet established a climate change adaptation strategy.

That is why Senator BAUCUS and I introduced the Safeguarding America's Future and the Environment Act, or SAFE Act.

The Federal agencies that manage our natural resources are responsible for protecting, restoring, and conserving the natural resources that underpin our economy. The SAFE Act would require those agencies to adopt climate change adaptation plans that are consistent with the National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy released this year by the, administration.

Adaptation--to shifting conditions, to catastrophic events, even to full ecosystem shifts--is not easy work, and resource managers are often constrained by existing laws and regulations. The SAFE Act puts all climate adaptation tools and approaches on the table, and includes State, local, and stakeholder participation.

I want to thank Senator BAUCUS for working so hard to protect Montanans, Rhode Islanders, and all Americans.

The SAFE Act has garnered broad support from sportsmen, the outdoor industry, and conservation groups, including American Forests, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Defenders of Wildlife, Earth Justice, the National Parks Conservation Association, Natural Resources Defense Council, the National Wildlife Federation, the Outdoor Alliance, Trout Unlimited, and The Wildlife Society.

Noah Matson of Defenders of Wildlife said, ``This bill recognizes that responding to climate change isn't just about cutting carbon emissions. It also means ensuring our wildlife and ecosystems are resilient and can withstand the extreme weather and other climate change impacts we are already experiencing. The two go hand in hand for a safe, healthy environment for wildlife, people and future generations.''

I hope the SAFE Act will also garner the support of our colleagues in Congress, and I look forward to working with Democrats and Republicans to pass this important legislation.

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