Martin Heinrich: “as a member of the climate change task force, I am pleased to join my colleagues in calling for action on tackling one…”

“as a member of the climate change task force, I am pleased to join my colleagues in calling for action on tackling one of our Nation's greatest challenges. I wish to start by thanking Senator Whitehouse, Senator Schatz, and Senator Boxer for their leadership on this issue. Tonight we will illustrate that climate change is not theoretical and cannot be ignored. We will discuss how sound science can be used to better understand and manage climate impacts. We will highlight the moral imperative that we have in Congress to implement real solutions. In my home State of New Mexico we are seeing bigger fires, dryer summers, more severe floods when it finally does rain, and less snowpack in the winter. Our Nation's second most extreme year for weather on record was in 2012, but in New Mexico we experienced the hottest year on record. Over the last 4 years alone, we have seen the two largest fires in New Mexico's history. The reality is that things are only going to get worse if we don't act. If we have any hope of reversing the effects of climate change-- and we truly must--it is critical that we embrace this challenge now and lead the world in innovation, efficiency, and clean energy. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.”