March 13, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 45 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session
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The Green New Deal (Executive Session); Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 45
(Senate - March 13, 2019)
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[Pages S1816-S1817] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] The Green New Deal Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I would like to start by talking about one of the best things we are known for in Montana, and that is our great outdoors, whether it be our national parks, our iconic wildlife, hunting, or fly fishing. Like all Montanans, I want the peace of mind that I can continue to enjoy these opportunities with my kids and grandkids, just as my dad and my grandpa did with me growing up in Montana. In Montana, we know how to foster commonsense, locally driven conservation to protect our environment. I am here to tell you today that there is nothing common sense about the so-called Green New Deal. In fact, the Green New Deal is a representation of everything that is wrong with Washington, DC. It is a radical, top-down idea that disregards the impacts on hard-working Montanans and Americans across our country. You see, in Montana, we rely on a diverse portfolio of energy and fuel sources to help grow our economy, to create good-paying jobs, and to preserve our Montana way of life. In order to live where you also like to play--that is what we call Montana--you need a good-paying job. Montana is still a State where a mom or a dad, a grandma or a grandpa, or an uncle or an aunt can take a child down to Walmart and buy an elk tag over the counter and be at a trailhead to start elk hunting within 30 minutes. We need our ag production. We need clean coal. We need sustainable timber production. These are all part of our Montana way of life. They are all important to the great State heritage we have. This Green New Deal would uproot all of that. This Green New Deal sounds more like a socialist wish list than it does some great, bold conservation plan. Calling for an end to air travel, getting rid of all of the cows, and ceasing all production of coal would literally destroy our State's economy. The Green New Deal flat out doesn't work. Montana's rural communities would be left without any power or electricity. In fact, just this month, we saw record cold temperatures in Montana. I was trying to fly back to Washington, DC, a week ago Monday. When I got to our airport there in Bozeman, it was minus-40 degrees. We had to hold the plane for nearly 3 hours because deicing fluid only works at minus-25 and warmer temperatures. The data that we have now looked at from during that cold snap shows that it was coal-fired generation--in particular, our Colstrip powerplant--that picked up the slack during those low temperatures. It kept the heat on for families across Montana. Our wind turbines have difficulty working in subzero temperatures, and that is regardless of whether the wind blows. One of the challenges in a State like Montana is that when a high-pressure system moves in, whether in the wintertime or in the summertime--let's take the winter for example. When high pressure moves in, oftentimes that is associated with low temperatures. That usually is when we have a spike in requirements of energy consumption needs on the grid. What happens when a high-pressure system moves in is that the wind stops blowing. There is a reason wind is referred to as intermittent energy. I am not opposed to the renewables. I think it is wonderful that we have wind energy in Montana. We have solar. We have hydro. We have a great renewable energy portfolio in Montana. But the reality is that during the coldest days of the winter, the wind doesn't blow. In fact, at minus-23 degrees and colder, they have to shut off the wind turbines because of the stress it presents to the materials of the turbines. In the summertime, when high-pressure systems move in, the temperatures spike on the high side, and the wind stops blowing. At the same time, we have peak load on the grid. So the commonsense thing to do is to focus on accelerating development of clean coal technology and keeping a balanced portfolio to make sure we meet the spike demands, whether they are in the summertime or in the wintertime. While we should focus on accelerating investments to help renewables like wind become more reliable, which makes a lot of sense, we should continue to think about how to make renewables better. The Green New Deal seems to think we all live in a fantasyland. In fact, it states how the United States has a disproportionate contribution to global [[Page S1817]] greenhouse gas emissions. Reports show that it is Asia, China, India, and other Asian countries. They are the countries that will drive energy consumption 25 percent higher by 2040 and with it, global gas emissions. The Green New Deal doesn't tell the positive story right here at home that the U.S.--and listen to this--is actually a world leader in technological energy innovation; that is we, the United States, leads the world in reducing energy-related carbon emissions. In fact, since 2007, our emissions have decreased about 14 percent. In fact, it is more innovation, not more regulation, that will further reduce global carbon emissions. Our world is a safer, more secure place if we accelerate energy innovation here at home, not cut the rug out from under us and cede that leadership to Asian countries. To top it all off, under the Green New Deal, it is the American people and it is Montanans, the hard- working taxpayers, who are going to pick up the bill. Some estimates have found this radical proposal would cost hard- working families over $600,000 per household over the proposed timeframe of that deal. That is about $65,000 every year. After only 10 years of implementation, Montanans will be stuck with a $93 trillion tab; roughly, $10 trillion more than the combined GDP of every nation on the planet in 2017. You see, this Green New Deal has nothing to do with conservation and the environment. The people of Montana believe in smart and efficient conservation. Listen, I am an avid backpacker. I am an avid fly fisherman. I spend more time in the wilderness than many. My wife and I love to put backpacks on and get back in the High Country and chase golden trout, the elk, and cattle. I love pristine environments. Montanans share a similar passion for the outdoors, but Montanans know we need smart and efficient conservation, and there is not one smart or efficient thing about this proposal. The Green New Deal is not a bold step forward. It is tragically backward. This is taking us back to Lewis and Clark, but don't take it from me. Take it from the hard-working Montanans, like our mine workers, like our pipe fitters, like our labor unions, which say: We will not accept proposals that could cause immediate harm to millions of our members and their families. We will not stand by and allow threats to our members' jobs and their families' standard of living go unanswered. That is why I am here today. We will not let this Green New Deal proposal go unanswered.
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