On the recordJanuary 7, 2014
As we begin the second session of the 113th Congress, Americans all over this country are coming up with their New Year's resolutions for 2014. In Congress, I propose we make this the year we stop ignoring climate change. Last year, CO<INF>2</INF> concentrations reached dangerous new heights in our atmosphere. We suffered through--and paid for--record- breaking extreme weather events, and we received dire new projections from international scientific organizations on the threats posed by climate change. What did the Republican-led House do? It continued its anti- environment voting record, voting 109 times in 2013 to weaken environmental protections. This behavior is reckless and irresponsible. Despite the gridlock in Congress, the Obama administration has been making progress. Under the President's leadership, the Nation has doubled the production of renewable energy like wind and solar, vehicles are more fuel efficient, and toxic air pollution for power plants has been cut dramatically. Let's work with the President this year to build off of these successes so that, on December 31, we can look with pride that we finally took action on climate change. ____________________
