Angie Craig: “I have come to the floor on more than one occasion over the last 5 years to discuss and debate the issue of climate…”

“I have come to the floor on more than one occasion over the last 5 years to discuss and debate the issue of climate change. Many of us engaged in this issue believe it to be a serious and important issue. That I cannot deny. The Senator from Florida talked about it being of critical character. I do not dispute that. The question is, Can we do anything about it and are we the cause of it? And I am speaking ``we'' as mankind. That is the essence of the debate today. Also, S. 139, the Climate Stewardship Act, would portray, in part, that we are the cause and, therefore, let us make some moderate adjustment changes in our regulatory structure in this country to begin to mitigate greenhouse gases. Let me suggest that the word ``modest'' has been used, but I would guess if you read the legislation, and then you downstreamed it through the regulatory process, it might be anything less than modest. Here is what is most important about regulating carbon dioxide. It is a gas. It is not a pollutant under the Clean Air Act. It is not a poisonous gas or a toxic substance. It does not represent a direct threat to public health. That is what scientists tell us. Yet somehow we are going to be able to regulate and shape it in a way that controls what we believe to be the cause of producing greenhouse gas. I suggest that probably the most invasive process we are going through right here with this legislation is the regulatory process that will ultimately come.”