Sen. John D. Rockefeller Iv Holds a Hearing On Climate Services

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Sen. John D. Rockefeller Iv Holds a Hearing On Climate Services

SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE AND TRANSPORTATION HOLDS A HEARING ON CLIMATE SERVICES

JULY 30, 2009

SPEAKERS: SEN. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, D-W.VA. CHAIRMAN SEN. DANIEL K. INOUYE, D-HAWAII SEN. JOHN KERRY, D-MASS. SEN. BYRON L. DORGAN, D-N.D. SEN. BARBARA BOXER, D-CALIF. SEN. BILL NELSON, D-FLA. SEN. MARIA CANTWELL, D-WASH. SEN. FRANK R. LAUTENBERG, D-N.J. SEN. MARK PRYOR, D-ARK. SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL, D-MO. SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR, D-MINN. SEN. TOM UDALL, D-N.M. SEN. MARK WARNER, D-VA. SEN. MARK BEGICH, D-ALASKA

SEN. KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, R-TEXAS RANKING MEMBER SEN. OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, R-MAINE SEN. JOHN ENSIGN, R-NEV. SEN. JIM DEMINT, R-S.C. SEN. DAVID VITTER, R-LA. SEN. JOHN THUNE, R-S.D. SEN. ROGER WICKER, R-MISS. SEN. JOHNNY ISAKSON, R-GA. SEN. SAM BROWNBACK, R-KAN. SEN. MEL MARTINEZ, R-FLA. SEN. MIKE JOHANNS, R-NEB.

WITNESSES: SECRETARY OF COMMERCE GARY LOCKE

JOHN HOLDREN, DIRECTOR, WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

[*] ROCKEFELLER: According to my watch, it's precisely 2:30, so it's time to start the hearing.

(LAUGHTER)

And let me just make an opening statement and then we're going to hear from our witnesses. And then we've got all kinds of smart people sitting behind them, who, I don't know, I just can't bear the thought of you three sitting back there saying nothing at all. But, we'll see how it works out. If one of them makes a mistake, you can just correct them.

OK, our -- and this really -- this committee has so much to do with climate change, and we spend so much time on aviation and all kinds of other things. And -- but we're heavily vested in climate change and we have been for years. But not enough people know that so, that's why our secretary of commerce is here and our head of OSTP is here, John Holdren.

So our climate shapes every aspect of our lives. It's the -- you know, it's the most important piece of legislation that we will probably ever do in the history of this country -- and I think we will do it.

It determines where we build our roads. It determines where people build homes, whether they build homes. It affects our health. It controls all kinds of our energy. Over one-third of our nation's gross domestic product is affected by something called weather and climate. I don't think most people know that. I didn't either, until I prepared for this statement.

So climate change is happening. The scientists agree on that. People, who say it isn't happening, have a nice day. We have observed rising temperatures and sea levels, reduced snow and ice, longer growing season and changes in river flow.

There's terror about water in the west, and there ought to be. You know, I mean things are happening everywhere. How people can ignore any of that, I just don't understand.

So these challenges continue to grow, but so does our knowledge of the climate system, the reach of our scientific research.

It just happens that our president has surrounded himself with absolu...

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