Frank Lautenberg: “I call up amendment No. 839. I offer this amendment to this bill to protect the integrity of government science and…”

“I call up amendment No. 839. I offer this amendment to this bill to protect the integrity of government science and research on global climate change. The amendment is cosponsored by Senators Reid of Nevada, Lieberman, Jeffords, and Corzine. We hear a lot of rhetoric these days by those who challenge climate change and the science that they supposedly use to back up their arguments. But the problem is that much of what they present is not science but, rather, fiction. And what we want to talk about tonight, as has been said many times, is the facts, just the facts, please. When I see what is being presented to us, I want to show this placard. It is called ``the Cooney Triangle.'' It is an alliance between the American Petroleum Institute, the White House, and ExxonMobil. Cooney used to be a lobbyist for the American Petroleum Institute. Put simply, his job at the White House was to cast doubt on the scientific evidence that our climate is changing. In 2001, Mr. Cooney went to work at the White House's Council on Environmental Quality. His mission at CEQ included editing reports by government scientists on global warming. And he tried to muddy the waters by interjecting uncertainty where, in fact, there is consensus. About 2 weeks ago, Mr. Cooney left the White House to go to work for ExxonMobil, the most outspoken of all the oil companies in its rejection of the scientific evidence that global warming is occurring.…”