Alan Lowenthal: “My amendment would ensure that the Department of the Interior continues to address the impacts of climate change on our…”

“My amendment would ensure that the Department of the Interior continues to address the impacts of climate change on our public lands, on our waters, and cultural resources by maintaining a 2009 Secretarial order on climate change. Across the country, our public lands and wildlife are often on the front lines of climate change. Every week, we learn more from scientists about the impacts of rising levels of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Ocean acidification, droughts, increased frequency of wildfires, heat waves, extreme weather events, diminished air quality, habitat loss, species migrations, and more changes than even these to our environment are occurring because of climate change. The Department of the Interior is in a unique position when it comes to climate change because it is responsible for where fossil fuels are extracted, how fossil fuels are extracted, and the amount of fossil fuels extracted from our public lands and our waters. Of course, fossil fuels, when burned, contribute a significant amount of climate-changing pollution to the atmosphere. In addition, the Department of the Interior is also responsible for managing much of our public lands and waters that are impacted by that damaged climate. Therefore, the Department of the Interior should play a significant role in both promoting the transition to a low-carbon economy and mitigating the effects of climate change on our public lands and waters.…”