Political Quotes

“I thank the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Johnson), the committee chairwoman, for yielding me the time and for supporting this bill, as well as the ranking member from Oklahoma, both of whom have shown a true willingness to address the impact of climate change and the impact that it has had on our oceans. The increased carbon absorbed by our oceans has presented a crisis that has touched coastal communities in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, as well as the connected water bodies in between. That is why it is encouraging to see the health of our oceans finally receive the attention from this Chamber that they have long deserved, with the four bipartisan bills before us today. Despite congressional inaction, the Federal Government has done its best to address ocean acidification through existing programs and budgets. I would particularly like to recognize the work of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, better known as NOAA, which has never shirked its responsibility to safeguard our seas in the face of climate change, even though the agency did not receive additional resources to meet this complex challenge. It is due to NOAA's research that we know that our oceans have increased in acidity by approximately 30 percent since the industrial revolution and could experience increases up to 150 percent by the end of the century. Let's be clear. That data isn't just frightening on an environmental level. It also spells disaster for our economy.…”