Political Quotes

“as I resume my remarks, we head westward to the tallest peaks of the Rockies, where, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Northern Rocky Mountains have been warming more than three times as fast as the global average over the past 100 years. A 2014 Union of Concerned Scientists report warned that the Rocky Mountains will ``become even hotter and drier,'' which will lead to increased wildfire, reduced snowpack, and declines in the keystone trees that define the Rocky Mountain forests. A recent study by U.S. Forest Service and Oregon State University researchers found that species like the pygmy rabbit, wolverine, Canada lynx, and snowshoe hare, which have specific habitat requirements, will be particularly vulnerable. Some mountain amphibians are even at risk from a harmful, invasive fungus that thrives in warmer temperatures. The increased spread of disease and invasive species is a recurring theme of climate change. Animals and plants that are already stressed from depleted food and changing temperatures are more susceptible to disease, and stressed ecosystems leave openings for invasive species to move in and take over. After hitting U.S. shores in the early 2000s in wood packing material, the invasive and injurious emerald ash borer has spread to around 30 States and has destroyed tens of millions of ash trees in its wake. In July, my Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management discovered this invasive species in our State.…”