Jeff Bingaman: “I rise to talk about the cloture vote on the climate change legislation pending before the Senate. Global warming is a…”

“I rise to talk about the cloture vote on the climate change legislation pending before the Senate. Global warming is a problem that we must address and the sooner the better. We must meet it with a strong and mandatory regulatory system. Of all the possible options, a cap-and-trade system makes the most sense. Turning that concept into legislative language is not easy, and turning it into legislative language that can become law is far harder still. The substitute amendment before us is the product of a lot of hard work and passion to do the right thing. I applaud that and thank the sponsors for their sincere efforts. There are many ideas in this amendment that I support, but, as the sponsors know, I also have many concerns about the substance of their proposal. I am sorry that we will not have a chance to debate the many complex and far-reaching issues they present. I have been in the Senate for 25 years. I have learned, and firmly believe, that the only way to write legislation that stands a good chance of becoming law is to ensure that all sides have a legitimate opportunity to comment on and contribute to legislation as it is being written.”