Safe Climate Caucus

Floor Speech

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, although the House continues to ignore climate change, others are busy assessing the problems and options to address the new situations that this Nation and our world will face in a warmer world. The United States Global Change Research Program's draft assessment suggests that we have work to do if we are to maintain a reliable, modern transportation system.

The committee's draft states that sea level rise, storm surge, extreme weather events, heat waves, and other manifestations of climate change are reducing the reliability and the capacity of our transportation system in many ways. The good news is the negative impacts can be reduced to rerouting, mode change, and other adaptive actions if we invest in our transportation network.

The States should not have to do this exercise alone. The Federal Government should lead the effort to deal and resolve climate change. We can improve our infrastructure, reduce the cost of natural disasters, and ensure that our transportation network serves our Nation's needs well into the future, all while creating jobs.

Let's stop denying reality. Let's address climate change. Let's move our Nation and the world forward.

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