On the recordMarch 22, 2013
and colleagues, we have a new Pope, Pope Francis, who said last week that our relation with God's creation is not very good right now. God's creation runs by laws--the laws of nature, the laws of physics, the laws of chemistry--and God gave us the power of reason to understand those laws. But they are not negotiable. They are not subject to amendment or repeal. And the arrogance of our thinking that they are is an offense to His creation. We can ignore obvious facts, we can ignore the essentially unanimous science, we can ignore our generals and admirals, we can ignore the insurance industry's warnings, but we ignore carbon pollution at our peril, and we have subsidized it long enough. It is past time to wake up from our sleepwalking. This vote is a test. Whether we pass or fail is a measure of us. I urge that we support this amendment that will allow us to put a price on carbon and protect the American people. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Missouri.
