On the recordJune 24, 2015
We just heard from the gentlewoman from California, a State that has proven to be an international leader. Its economy is going great guns. It is reducing its carbon footprint, its carbon use. People confuse the price of energy with the cost of energy, and what has happened in States like California, which have been creative in terms of energy conservation and in pricing it properly, is that use goes down. Some of the people with the lowest rates waste the most energy. They actually spend more. Part of what we did with climate legislation, as the gentleman from New Jersey well knows, actually would have reduced the cost for most people. We don't want to be on the wrong side of history on this because it will have a devastating effect. The administration's modest proposal ought to be supported. We ought not to pretend that we can shatter it and piecemeal it out for the States to undercut it. We ought not to pretend that this is not a real problem that deserves our attention going forward. To waste time today with something that would turn the clock back and that won't pass the Senate--if it did, it would be vetoed--is sad. We ought to be working together on a low carbon future to be able to make it work right for each and every community.
