Climate Action Now Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. TORRES of California. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act.

My grandsons' generation will remember President Trump's decision to leave the Paris Agreement as the day that he condemned them to a world of manmade devastation.

Today, we have a chance to change that. Which side do we want to be on, the side of future generations or the side of those who would profit at their expense?

H.R. 9 mandates that the United States Government honor the commitments we made in the Paris Agreement.

We also need to protect the rights of cities and States to go above and beyond to meet the unique strains climate change puts on their regions.

For example, California has committed to source 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2045. This is necessary, considering the toll climate change has taken on California, including historic droughts, deadly fires, and terrible flooding.

Despite this, President Trump has tried to make it harder for California to regulate its own greenhouse emissions. I have offered an amendment to H.R. 9 that would stop President Trump from using the plan mandated in this act to limit cities and States like California from taking more ambitious action to reduce greenhouse emissions.

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Mrs. TORRES of California. Mr. Chair, if we don't take an aggressive step to deal with this problem, our grandchildren and their grandchildren will pay the price.

A United States Government report found that our economy will lose over $1 trillion dollars by the end of this century due to climate change. Clean energy is an investment, not only for our communities, but for future generations.

California has over 500,000 jobs created within the clean energy sector. That is about 10 times the number of coal jobs nationwide. This amendment ensures that California's progress and commitment will not be sabotaged.

I would like to thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor) for offering this critical legislation.

Mr. Chair, I urge passage of my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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