Ratepayer Protection Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this attempt to weaken our first real shot at reducing the harmful carbon pollution that is contributing to global climate change and endangering our communities.

Last month was the hottest May on record. Last year was the hottest year. We've already seen extreme weather events across the globe--from unprecedented flooding in Texas to deadly drought in India. This is not a coincidence. It is not a fluke. It is a real trend identified by ninety-seven percent of climate scientists worldwide. And it requires our urgent action to protect our constituents and our environment.

It is past time. And when skeptics in this Congress refused to acknowledge reality and refused to take any steps to prevent disaster, the President used his authority under the Clean Air Act to reduce carbon emissions, which are a leading contributor to climate change. His proposed Clean Power Plan is a flexible framework for states to cut carbon pollution from power plants for the first time. It's a plan that sets goals, provides options, and lets states figure out what works best for them.

But today we are considering a bill that would undermine the very structure of the Clean Air Act. Currently, when states refuse or fail to fulfill their obligations to reduce pollution under the Clean Air Act, the federal government has the obligation to step in to put forward a plan that would meet the law's requirements. This federal backstop is a critical part of our nation's environmental laws. Today's legislation would allow states to ``opt out'' of a federal plan, giving them the authority to ignore their responsibility to comply with the rule and leaving their residents without protection from carbon pollution.

Moreover, we are considering this bill before the Clean Power Plan is even finalized. The EPA is in the process of considering input from many states to refine the proposal before putting forward a final rule. This bill would simply delay efforts to reduce air pollution.

Mr. Speaker, just last week the Pope called on all of us to live up to our moral responsibility to act on climate change to protect our communities, our environment, and the most vulnerable among us. We should heed that call, reject this bad bill, and work together to prevent the most damaging impacts of climate change.

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