Ed Whitfield: “One of the great things about having a debate in this body is that we all get to express our different views, and the…”

“One of the great things about having a debate in this body is that we all get to express our different views, and the world benefits when different views can be expressed. One of the reasons that we brought these resolutions to the House floor today is because of the climate change conference in France going on today. We want the world to know that there is disagreement with the President on this issue, not about the fact that the climate is changing, but about the priority that is being placed on it. Why should this President penalize America and put us in jeopardy compared to other countries of the world and require us to do more than other countries of the world are doing just so that he can go to France and claim to be the world leader on climate change? According to the Energy Information Administration, energy-related CO<INF>2</INF> emissions in America will remain below 2005 levels through 2040. Our CO<INF>2</INF> emissions today are roughly the same as they were 20 years ago. America does not have to take a backseat to anyone on addressing climate change. That is the point that we want the world to understand. We are doing a lot. We would like to help other countries do more, but why should we be penalized? At this time, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen).”