Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011

Floor Speech

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Ms. DeGETTE. I thank the ranking member for allowing me to close.

This amendment gives Members of the House what should be a very simple choice: recognize the overwhelming science or vote to deny the overwhelming science.

We in Congress can certainly change the laws of this country, but last I heard we cannot change the laws of nature. There is no serious disagreement on the science of climate change. In fact, the findings have been confirmed by all leading scientific academies around the world. The National Academy of Sciences last year issued a series of comprehensive reports that are unambiguous. It says, for example, ``Climate change is occurring. It is caused largely by human activities, and in many cases it is already affecting a broad range of human and natural systems.'' And even a team of scientists from UC Berkeley, who were told to try to disprove global climate change, just reported last week to a congressional committee that in fact global climate change is occurring.

This is simple. This is clear. H.R. 910 represents an effort to deny and run away from science and reality. It ignores one of the chief drivers behind our need for a clean and modernized energy policy: massive and growing human consumption of carbon-based fuels.

Last Congress, and again today, I chose to be on the side of those who acted to address a climate disaster and put into place the framework for an energy policy which this country so painfully goes without and so little can afford. I urge my colleagues to do the same.

Vote ``yes'' on this amendment. Vote ``no'' on the underlying bill and stand with science.

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