Excerpts from Sen. Hillary Clinton's Floor Speech on First Day of Senate Debate on the McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act

Posted: 30-Oct-2003; Updated: 31-Oct-2003

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY): It is a real problem. You can say that it isn't. You can say it over and over again. It is a real problem, and it is a problem that is getting worse because we failed to attend to it. But what bothers me is this idea that somehow America - the most innovative, creative nation the world has ever seen - cannot cope with this problem. This defeatism, this pessimism, this fatalism that I hear from the opponents is fundamentally un-American. We have a problem. We should get about the business of addressing the problem. . . .

Some might say, "Well, it doesn't seem that bad to me," or, "The consequences don't seem that dire." But I believe we have disturbing findings from the most authoritative scientific sources that argue otherwise. The most definitive recent reports were issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and by the National Research Council in 2001.

I remind my colleagues that the National Research Council study was requested by the Bush administration. And it fundamentally confirms the results of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. What was the response of the administration? Kill the messenger. Hide the findings. Order EPA to take the information about global climate change out of its review of the status of the environment.

You can deny a problem, you can ignore it, and you can delude yourself that it is not an issue. But I don't think that any longer is sustainable. It is not intellectually honest, and it is not politically defensible. Opponents who argue that we need more study before we act are simply wrong. Yes, we need to know more, but we already know enough to take initial steps to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change. That is what this legislation proposes to do. . . .

What is clear to me is that we have extraordinary economic opportunity. Since when did Americans say in the face of a challenge, "Oh, my goodness, we can't admit it, we can't confront it," because we don't know how to deal with it economically? We could be making money and creating jobs if we took seriously the opportunities for alternative energy and conservation. The fact that we do not is because of the stranglehold special interests who are committed to always producing energy have on this body and on the administration.

Let's be clear, we put out most of the greenhouse gasses from our country and we have the technological knowhow, we have the understanding that would enable us to be the leaders in addressing this issue. That is why the bill offered by Senators McCain and Lieberman is so timely. Simply put, we would stabilize greenhouse gas emissions at 2000 levels by 2010.

Think of the energy we would unleash among our entrepreneurs if they got the go-ahead to deal with this challenge. A market-driven system of greenhouse gas tradable allowances would exempt farmers, residences, and auto manufacturers, and that would give us a chance to go forward to try to find solutions to the challenge of addressing greenhouse emissions. We know this cap-and-trade approach can enable cost-effective reductions in emissions. We have seen it in the implementation of the acid rain provisions of the 1990 Clean Air Act. We know that has worked. Why do we turn our backs on what we know works?

It is amazing to me how often the Congress, Capitol Hill, and Washington end up becoming evidence-free zones because people do not want to deal with what the evidence demonstrates. We know the cost for this would be minimal.

Let's be honest. The science is clear. The opportunities are clear. This bill represents a modest and flexible first step. Despite the assertions of opponents, compliance costs will be minimal. The United States needs to regain leadership. We need to take responsibility. It gives a chance, then, to go to the rest of the world to try to build an international consensus. In the absence of some kind of protocol or treaty, we will be choking to death on the emissions from countries such as China and India as their standard of living rises. Now is the time to act. We owe it to our children and our grandchildren and generations beyond.

I thank the two sponsors for giving us the opportunity to go on record on the right side of history.

Find Out More

• Complete Congressional Record Transcript of First Day Floor Debate on the McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act - Features Senators Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), John McCain (R-AZ), James Inhofe (R-OK), Christopher Bond (R-MO), George Voinovich (R-OH), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Susan Collins (R-ME), Robert Bennett (R-UT), and Jon Kyl (R-AZ). (213kB pdf)
• Complete Congressional Record Transcript of Second Day Floor Debate on the McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act, and Final Vote - Features Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), James Inhofe (R-OK), Chuck Hagel (R-NB), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Larry Craig (R-ID), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), George Voinovich (R-OH), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), John Sununu (R-NH), John McCain (R-AZ), Robert Byrd (D-WV), Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), Thomas Carper (D-DE), Tom Harkin (D-IA), James Jeffords (I-VT), Russell Feingold (D-WI), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), James Bunning (R-KY), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Carl Levin (D-MI), Michael Enzi (R-WY) and George Allen (R-VA). (204Kb pdf)
• Article: Global Warming: Finally a Hot Issue on the Political Agenda (10/30/03)
• How did your senators vote? Check the Vote Tally (10/30/03)