May 2, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 72 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page H3437]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       LEADING ON CLIMATE CHANGE

  (Mr. CASTEN of Illinois asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. CASTEN of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise to praise this body for 
passing H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act, of which I am a proud 
cosponsor.
  Climate change is the greatest existential threat to our species. It 
is also an unequivocal economic opportunity. Replacing the need to 
extract and burn fossil fuels with renewable and clean energy saves 
money.
  This White House is failing to seize this domestic opportunity while 
simultaneously walking away from our international partners and 
competitors that are committed to this challenge.
  Of all the misguided decisions of this administration, few have been 
as reckless as announcing our withdrawal from the Paris climate 
agreement. It is environmentally foolish; it is economically naive; and 
it cedes leadership to China and others on the defining challenge of 
our time. That is foolhardy.
  H.R. 9 is a reclamation of that mantle. It is a demonstration that 
Americans are determined to lead, even if the White House is refusing 
to do so.
  I am proud to be a part of this effort, not because it is enough, but 
because it is the kind of leadership into the breach that has long 
defined true American greatness.

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