Jared Huffman: “It is great to follow those warm, bipartisan remarks from my friend from Michigan, because, after all, even though you…”

“It is great to follow those warm, bipartisan remarks from my friend from Michigan, because, after all, even though you wouldn't know it from the ranking member's remarks, we are here to consider a package of bipartisan bills that provide commonsense, science-based solutions for issues facing our coastal communities. These bills reflect putting aside our differences and looking at the facts for the sake of our constituents in coastal economies around this country. Last week, I attended the U.N. Climate Conference in Madrid. We were focused on international action on climate change, and specifically, the role of the oceans. Because of climate change, coastal cities will be devastated from sea-level rise, and commercial fisheries could be either totally collapsed or moved beyond the reach of our coastal communities, all in my children's lifetimes. So, yes, adaptation and mitigation will be costly, but the cost of doing nothing is exponentially higher. And the cost of inaction continues to increase every day that special interests concerned with keeping the status quo are put ahead of our oceans, our coasts, and future generations. Now, this package of bills will provide tools and resources coastal communities need to prepare for the impacts of climate change and to protect local economies. One section is based on my bill, the National Sea Grant College Program Amendments Act.…”