Max Baucus: “I rise today to speak to amendment No. 236 to exempt farmers, ranchers, and small businesses from EPA regulation of…”

“I rise today to speak to amendment No. 236 to exempt farmers, ranchers, and small businesses from EPA regulation of greenhouse gases. The science is clear: greenhouse gas pollution is causing climate change. Climate change is here, it is real, it is human caused, and it will hurt our economy and the health of our kids and grandkids. In Montana we are already seeing the effects. According to Dr. Steve Running at the University of Montana, the duration of the wildlife season in the western United States has increased by 78 days since the 1970s. This trend is driven by earlier snowpack melt and less summer precipitation due to climate change. And this trend costs jobs in Montana's tourism and timber industry. Climate change also endangers our national security. According to a report recently authored by retired Navy ADM Frank Bowman, ``Even the most moderate predicted trends in climate change will present new national security challenges.'' That is why the Pentagon included climate change among the security threats identified in its Quadrennial Defense Review. I believe that we all have a moral responsibility to leave this world to our kids and grandkids in better shape than we found it. That means we ought to deal with climate change by reducing our emissions of greenhouse gas pollution. But we must do so in a manner that does not hurt the economic recovery. Small businesses and agriculture are the drivers of our economic recovery and job creation.…”