We believe that steps towards implementation of near-term proposals that do not have to wait for comprehensive legislative action would be a clear and unmistakable signal that the Administration and Congress are willing to take the difficult yet necessary measures to put our nation's nuclear waste management program back on track and enable its success.

In conclusion, and as we said to this committee in February, the national interest demands that our nuclear waste program be fixed.

The purpose of the hearing, the focus of it, is to talk about the impacts of climate change on the Intermountain West.

While election year politics will keep this legislation from being enacted in this Congress, I hope it will serve as a foundation for passing legislation perhaps in the next Congress.

Thank you, Senator and Chairman Bingaman for this opportunity to testify on the critically important issue of climate change.

Thank you, Senator Bingaman, for your long standing commitment to tackling climate change, and for your commitment to New Mexico's environment.

Climate change is a tremendously pressing issue that we can't afford to continue ignoring.

I would ask that in addition to supported Federal agency action that you also support S. 2283, which would allow tribal government to directly request a Presidential disaster declaration.

Our Pueblo is involved in a multigenerational effort to restore our forest and our watershed after the devastating Los Conchas wildfire.

In the Senate I work to advance policies to reduce greenhouse gases about 20 clean energy sources and greater efficiency.

In the end, we cannot, and we should not, expend resources on every known vulnerability: it would just be too expensive.