Our changing climate creates immeasurable challenges for farmers.

Agriculture both affects and is affected by climate change.

A 2 percent increase in global temperature can create significant heat stress for plants and animals.

Madam Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing on the transportation piece of the greenhouse gas emissions puzzle and what we can do to address this issue.

That is why the recovery law that we passed, and President Obama signed, contains more than $8 billion for high-speed rail.

Every single time we have moved forward to go after pollution, the naysayers have been wrong about their predictions.

Rising sea levels and increased salt water infiltration into groundwater sources are serious concerns of mine.

We, in this region, look at the Chesapeake Bay partnership with the Federal Government as an area of major national priority, but also a model that could be used in other parts of the country where you have multi-jurisdictional issues.

I will introduce legislation to list the bighead carp as injurious under the Lacey Act.

I want to reiterate my support for those core values of strong science, transparency and the rule of law.

We are talking about the threats to native wildlife species.

If the Chinese mitten crab is going to be competing with that, it could complicate the survival of the blue crab in Maryland.

We must change the law, and we must do it quickly.

But there are certain prohibited items and of course we all know what happens at the borders.

the related issue is that there is an intentional introduction of an invasive species, the Asian oyster

I know that Senator Lautenberg will be talking about the bats, a keystone species in the food web.

I want to thank my colleague Senator Whitehouse for his assistance in co-chairing this important hearing to examine the threats disease and invasive species pose to the country's native wildlife.

Senator Whitehouse has indicated that he will be back after the first vote.

We do know that it is related to human activity, and we need to talk about that.

That has me greatly concerned.

I think each of the members' opening statements points that we have a common challenge around the Nation on dealing with the protection of our native wildlife species.

Senator Levin, in talking about the threats to the Great Lakes; and Senator Nelson, who will talk about the unique wildlife and ecosystems in Florida.

We need to establish a process to screen incoming organisms.

It seems that is a pretty narrow area where you can act.

We already have a problem with the survival of juvenile crabs, the blue crabs.