Political Quotes

“I thank the Chair. In closing, I appreciate the significant progress that has been made already to improve this legislation. I applaud the efforts of my colleagues, Senators Boxer, Lieberman, and Warner, for the work they and their staffs and our staffs have done. The authors of the bill can be proud and their staffs should be commended, our staff should be commended. We have seen forward-looking companies such as DuPont show leadership and vision to develop a business plan for operating in a carbon-constrained economy. We have seen States such as California, Delaware, and a few others take action to reduce our carbon emissions. What we have not seen yet is leadership from our Federal Government. While we continue to do nothing, or too little, our international competitors are already developing new technologies and preparing for the future. President John Kennedy once said: There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction. I recognize that despite the hard work of our staffs, Members, and leaders on this issue, there is a good chance this conversation will need to continue next year. It will and it should. I believe we must act on this issue next year, if we ultimately are unable to find common ground this year.”