Amy Klobuchar: “I want to first thank Senator Carper for his leadership today, and I rise today to join him in speaking about the…”

“I want to first thank Senator Carper for his leadership today, and I rise today to join him in speaking about the nomination of Scott Pruitt to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. I will not be voting in favor of Mr. Pruitt's nomination for EPA Administrator because of his record and views on issues that are very important to the people of my State--issues like climate change, which matters in Minnesota, and issues like the Renewable Fuel Standard. I am not sure everyone has focused on that today, but I think it is important, especially for States in the Midwest, to focus on what his record has been on this issue. Mr. Pruitt has written that the climate change debate is ``far from settled'' and has made other troubling comments about climate change. I could not disagree more. I believe that the debate on whether climate change is happening is over. The facts are in, and the science is clear. The ``2014 National Climate Assessment'' stated the most recent decade was the Nation's warmest on record. U.S. temperatures are expected to continue to rise. It was drafted by over 300 authors and extensively reviewed by the National Academy of Sciences and a Federal advisory committee of 60 members.…”