"Congressional Difference of Opinion"-Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-AK
Tuesday, June 23, 2009SUSIE GHARIB: Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are under pressure to pass climate and energy legislation by the end of this year. A vote on climate change is expected later this week in the House of Representatives. As we continue our "Congressional Difference of Opinion," Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, gives us her take on climate change and its impact on the economy.
SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R) ALASKA: Climate change is not a theoretical discussion in Alaska. We can see and feel the changes that are taking place around us. I believe that we should take steps to address climate change. But we must also make sure that our actions do not harm our economy. Addressing climate change is a daunting task and will require global action, but we are making progress. In the past four years, we've enacted two major energy bills and we are currently hard at work on a third. These bills will have a significant positive impact on our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We can and should do more, including increasing our use of emissions free nuclear energy, but it's important that our actions be reasonable and responsible. I'm concerned that one should be a solution to a problem is increasingly viewed as a way to pay for other expensive policy objectives, whether they're tax breaks, promise on the campaign trail or subsidies to politically popular industries. And while we seek to develop the cleanest possible energy at the lowest price, we must be honest that we will continue to need conventional fuels for many decades to come. (INAUDIBLE) ability is essential to our economic growth and recovery as well as our energy security. It's that prosperity that will enable us to transition to a cleaner energy mix and not make existing resources more expensive. Recognition of this fact will lead to a more constructive debate in the Congress and I look forward to that process unfolding in the coming months. This is Senator Lisa Murkowski.
GHARIB: And a quick correction. During last night's program, we mis- identified Senator Bingaman of New Mexico as John. The senator's first name is Jeff and we apologize for the error.
