Senator Arlen Specter Comments on Climate Change Legislation

“I think it is vital that we move ahead on this issue, and I intend to vote ‘yes’ on the motion to proceed.”

Washington, D.C. -- June 2, 2008 -- Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) today spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate in regards to the current debate on the Lieberman-Warner “Climate Security Act” (S.3036).

A transcript of his floor statement follows. The extensive floor statement he references in his speech is attached.

“Mr. President, I thank my colleagues for squeezing me in for five minutes. I have sought this time to talk very briefly about the Bingaman-Specter bill which is aimed at solving the problem of global warming, but is somewhat more moderate than the Warner-Lieberman bill.

“I will take a few seconds on a personal note. I’ve had quite a few people take a look at me today and ask me how I am, and on C-SPAN 2 some people may notice I’m a little pale, a little thin, and a little bald. I feel better than I look. I’ve gone through this chemotherapy for Hodgkin’s once, and I’m optimistic about doing it again.

“But I agree with Senator Boxer that this is an historic day. I wanted to be here at the outset of this debate. I have long been concerned about the problem of global warming. I congratulate what Senator McCain and Senator Lieberman did several years ago and what Senator Warner and Senator Lieberman are doing now.

“I think it is vital that we move ahead on this issue, and I intend to vote ‘yes’ on the motion to proceed. It is my hope that in this debate we can reconcile many of the interests. Warner-Lieberman and Bingaman-Specter have a lot of similarities, but there are significant differences.

“I believe it is going to be difficult to get 60 votes to impose cloture so that this bill can move ahead. Senator Bingaman and I started a long time ago, 18 months ago, in January of 2007, with a draft bill. We were ready for introduction in July 11, 2007 and assembled a large group of labor, business, and industry and environmentalists to support the bill which we have.

“I would like to see us attain the goals of Lieberman-Warner; I would like it very much. But for reasons which are detailed in my extensive written statement, I do not believe that that is possible.

“On February 14 of this year, at the request of management and labor, I testified before the Finance Committee on the issue of what importers were going to have to do and, illustratively, China would like 30 years. Well, in 30 years there won’t be a steel industry.

“We have to reconcile a great many conflicting interests. My state is a major coal state. I have one of the top experts on Capitol Hill on the subject, Tom Dower. He worked months, working through very complex issues with labor and management and conservationists.

“The details of a very extensive analysis are set forth in my floor statement, but that is the essence of my approach today. I ask unanimous consent the full text be included in the record.

“It is my hope that we will reconcile all these interests and move ahead. But I think it is very important that we not search for a goal that we cannot attain and end up doing nothing. We know the maxim that the perfect is the destroyer of the good.

“I thank my colleagues and I yield the floor.”

Source: Senator Arlen Specter

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