On the recordJuly 7, 2015
I think I will start this discussion with the words of a rather influential individual: Pope Francis. In his recent encyclical, he wrote: ``If present trends continue, this century may well witness extraordinary climate change and an unprecedented destruction of ecosystems, with serious consequences for all of us.'' That is Pope Francis. In this legislation, the appropriation bill, there are numerous efforts to deny the reality of climate change. And, specifically, what I want to deal with on this amendment is Executive Order No. 13693: Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade. The intention of this amendment is to support the Federal Government's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent over the next decade relative to 2008. This bill will save taxpayers money--about $18 billion--in avoided energy costs, and it will increase the share of electricity the Federal Government consumes from renewable resources by up to 30 percent. Twenty-six million metric tons of greenhouse gases would be eliminated. So why in the face of all of the scientific evidence and why in the face of the reality that the climate is, indeed, changing, when we have throughout the State of California and around the Nation local governments planning for the eventually, not the reality, of higher sea levels, would we put forth a bill that would prohibit the Federal Government from planning for climate change?…
