I would say that the American public has a high level of interest in this subject.

It was worth every day of it. I miss it daily, but life, as Thomas Jefferson said, you have got to step off the path of public life and let those following behind take over.

You get that double-barreled shot of folks having to pay for allowances while at the same time having to pay to green up their energy sources.

the President ought to join in as these several committees are beginning to try to strike a consensus among the bills.

It is going to be like building that cathedral, and frankly, I will not be around when the final capstone is put on that cathedral.

I find that all forms of initiatives are out there within the private sector and in the public sector, working.

We need to go out and listen a little bit and perhaps share with those in the States what we know about it back here.

I very definitely believe that.

I think that is a solid precedent for arguing today to return, as you have said Senator Alexander, to a greater reliance on nuclear energy to resolve the climate change dilemmas.

The United States has to step out and lead.

I hope you encourage other colleagues to do it.

We cannot do it. But America did do it, again, with strong leadership.

I am a recent convert on the need to address the urgent threat of climate change.

Press on, I say to my colleagues. Press on. We will solve this as a country.

I come back to the simple statement: we have got to lead. And I do believe they will follow.

All 40 Republican Senators have endorsed No. 1, building 100 nuclear plants in the next 20 years.

There is a perception that the Senate is not doing much on climate change. This hearing dispels that by the opening statements.

We do not have a clean energy policy in the United States or ever a renewable energy policy.

This country is going to go on doing that.

It adds additional roles and missions to our armed forces which today are valiantly fighting in two wars.

As Senator Warner so ably pointed out, the United States and our young men and women into conflicts over water and other critical resource shortages.

I think the record should show that we recognize the leadership being given by the President of the United States now on this issue.

I think the Senate is going to be the institution that can bring together the disparity of thinking.

I came to this effort to try and work on climate change through the combined work in this committee and in our committee, Senator Inhofe, of the Armed Services Committee.

But there is no greater honor that any person can have than to serve in this institution.