Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I rise to discuss the devastating impacts of climate change in my home State of New Hampshire and across our country. I want to start by commending our colleague Senator Whitehouse, who has been a fierce advocate for this issue and, as of yesterday, had taken to the floor 200 times to call on Congress to wake up and protect our environment.

I am proud to represent a State whose beautiful natural resources strengthen our economy, create jobs, and support our high quality of life, but we are already seeing the real impacts of climate change in New Hampshire--impacts with major consequences.

Last year, the ``National Climate Assessment'' report reinforced what has long been clear: Human activity is the driving force behind our changing climate, and the United States is experiencing more extreme weather events, including dangerous heat, heavier rainfall and more flooding, and larger wildfires as a result, threatening both our long- term economic growth and the well-being of our citizens.

Many people in New Hampshire, particularly on our sea coast, are concerned about what these stronger and more frequent storms will mean for their families, their homes, and their businesses. Rising sea levels and greater precipitation have heightened the risk of flooding on our coasts. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association estimates that New Hampshire sea levels are expected to rise between six-tenths of a foot and 2 feet by 2050 and between 1.6 feet and 6.6 feet by 2100. In just the last 2 weeks, our State has been hit by three nor'easters. This is not normal.

You can see here, the flooding that impacted streets and homes in Portsmouth, NH, during one of these storms. This chart depicts a photo. We have to help our people adapt to these changes, these direct threats they face. This starts with focusing on efforts like coastal resiliency to help vulnerable communities prepare, improving our infrastructure, and developing resilience strategies to help plan ahead of storms and extreme weather events. At the local level, people on New Hampshire's seacoasts are already doing great work to be proactive and address these challenges head-on, so we must support their efforts.

We must also keep working to mitigate climate change, which is why I am continuing to push to cut carbon emissions, conserve and protect our natural resources, and build a stronger clean energy future.

Unfortunately, President Trump has been focused on an agenda that is based on climate change denial and has stacked his administration with climate change skeptics who have placed the priorities on big oil companies over the protection of our natural resources.

According to a recent Politico report, President Trump has chosen at least 20 people to serve as agency leaders and advisers who have publicly disagreed with the settled science on climate change. He has left key positions vacant, including a science adviser at the Office of Science and Technology Policy--an unprecedented move over the last several decades in which the office has existed. This clear disdain for science and failure to acknowledge the reality of the dangers of climate change are seen throughout the administration's policies.

Last year, President Trump recklessly withdrew the United States from the Paris climate agreement--failing to listen to the voices of environmental and business leaders who supported this agreement. The United States of America now has the distinction of being the only country in the world that is not supporting it.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is working to repeal the Clean Power Plan, which is critical to reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and helping our citizens, our businesses, and our economy thrive. We have seen several clean air and clean water protections rolled back.

In addition to reversing environmental protections, the administration is taking further steps that can carry extreme risk for our environment. This includes the irresponsible plan to open up 90 percent of our Nation's coastal waters--including New Hampshire's seacoast--to the dangers of offshore drilling.

We are clearly seeing the impacts of climate change. Our citizens are calling on us to act, but the lack of leadership from this administration and the actions they have taken that exacerbate our climate and environmental challenges are--to put it mildly-- irresponsible.

We need to take proactive steps to protect our environment, not roll back key protections. We need to help communities threatened by a changing climate, not put the profits of Big Oil first. We need to stand up for science, not deny it.

I will keep working to address climate change and to achieve a cleaner environment and stronger energy future that will help our citizens, our economy, and our businesses thrive. I urge my colleagues to do the same. Recognizing Spaulding High School

Mr. President, I am proud to recognize not just an individual but the entire Spaulding High School community as our Granite Stater of the Month for the compassion and commitment to helping others that they displayed following the horrific shooting in Parkland, FL.

In the wake of the senseless violence in Parkland, Spaulding music staff and students met to discuss how they could help survivors and memorialize the 17 lives which were taken at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

During this dark time, the Spaulding students wanted to focus on expressing their love and how to best send comfort to their peers in Florida. This led Spaulding students, teachers, and faculty to start an initiative--with the members of the band, the color guard, and the Junior ROTC playing a leading role--to collect money to support the Stoneman Douglas community.

In the days that followed, students passed around buckets to collect donations, with each student giving what he or she could. In an enthusiastic show of support, the Spaulding community raised $3,271 in just 2 days.

Students wanted to do more, so they also presented the Spaulding High School Music Department Glass Eagle Leadership Award to the Stoneman Douglas Music Department, as that is also the mascot of their school. The Junior ROTC group also sent one of its Challenge Coins to acknowledge the Parkland students' bravery and resolve.

Two of the school's music teachers--Joanne Houston and Cheryl Richardson--recently flew to Florida to present the gifts to Stoneman Douglas's principal and vice principal.

The selfless support for Stoneman Douglas by the Spaulding High School community exemplifies the compassion of the Granite State.

In New Hampshire and throughout our country today, school communities are engaging in walkouts and demanding action to prevent future acts of gun violence. I know members of the Spaulding student body are planning a walkout, too, and I am profoundly grateful to see our young people speaking out and being powerful forces for change.

I am incredibly proud of these young leaders. We, as a country, must meet them in this moment.

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