Regrettably, we were not as successful as the Blue Ribbon Commission was in reaching a unanimous bipartisan consensus.

We fully support Chairman Bingaman's caution that any temporary storage facility must not become a permanent one.

Thank you, Senator Bingaman, for your long standing commitment to tackling climate change, and for your commitment to New Mexico's environment.

Thank you, Senator and Chairman Bingaman for this opportunity to testify on the critically important issue of climate change.

While election year politics will keep this legislation from being enacted in this Congress, I hope it will serve as a foundation for passing legislation perhaps in the next Congress.

The purpose of the hearing, the focus of it, is to talk about the impacts of climate change on the Intermountain West.

In the Senate I work to advance policies to reduce greenhouse gases about 20 clean energy sources and greater efficiency.

Our Pueblo is involved in a multigenerational effort to restore our forest and our watershed after the devastating Los Conchas wildfire.

I would ask that in addition to supported Federal agency action that you also support S. 2283, which would allow tribal government to directly request a Presidential disaster declaration.

Climate change is a tremendously pressing issue that we can't afford to continue ignoring.

It is past time that the killer of more than 90% of the salmon--the Federal Columbia River Power System--do more to help this important resource.

The bill's prohibition on even studying potential dam removal is simply counter to sound federal decision-making.

The science on this matter is clear--spill is the most effective and safest means of getting salmon past the federal dams.

I appreciate the character you are showing today, with the type of questioning that you are having to go through.

Well, I appreciate that, Inspector General. And you know, Mr. Chairman, before I yield back, again, words matter.

In the end, we cannot, and we should not, expend resources on every known vulnerability: it would just be too expensive.

I am sorry that was said. Because words matter.

What we should be talking about today and in the future is the moral question. Eleven people's lives were taken.