Opening Statement By Vice-Chair Gabrielle Giffords

Good afternoon. I want to welcome everyone to today’s Subcommittee hearing called to receive testimony on H.R. 906, The Global Climate Change Research Data and Management Act of 2007. This is an important bill that will help us to better address climate change in this country, and I want to thank my colleagues, Representative Mark Udall and Ranking Member Bob Inglis, for taking action and introducing this legislation.

Through bills like H.R. 906, Congress is starting to take action to address the global conundrum that is climate change. It is not an exaggeration to say that the world’s future depends on our response. The clock is ticking, and Congress must work across party lines to pass concrete solutions as soon as possible. I think that this bill represents just that kind of needed bipartisanship.

H.R. 906 would reorient the U.S. Global Change Research Program to produce more user-friendly research and information. In addition, the Act would require the Administration to identify and consult with members of the user community in developing the USGCRP research plan.

I believe that there is a real need to apply the improved knowledge we have about climate to produce information that federal, state, and local officials, resource managers, and businesses can use. Managers can then utilize that research to develop response, adaptation, and mitigation strategies to reduce their regions’ vulnerability to climate change.

Let’s look at how H.R. 906 could impact the West and Arizona specifically. According to the IPCC and conversations of my own with distinguished climate scientists from the University of Arizona, I understand climate change could permanently reduce the flow of the Colorado River, lead to more severe, prolonged droughts, and cause water shortages for millions of people. More than 25 million people in Arizona and six other states depend on the Colorado River for water and power. Forest fires and invasive species are projected to increase, and we could face an influx of environmental refugees from around the world. This would drastically affect our quality of life.

What steps are currently being taken to develop response strategies to reduce the Southwest’s vulnerability to climate change? In February of 2006, the Governors of Arizona and New Mexico signed an agreement to create the Southwest Climate Change Initiative. Under the agreement, our states will collaborate to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address the impacts of climate change in the Southwest. However, in order to do that, our state planners need relevant data to make the best decisions on how to respond.

That’s where H.R. 906 comes in. Climate change is happening in the Southwest, but Arizona can help moderate the change. With the new user-driven data provided by the re-orientation of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, state legislatures, local officials, resource managers, and businesses could all begin to adjust their plans to help Arizona avoid the worst of the impacts of climate change.

I take the challenge of addressing global warming very seriously, and it is one of my highest priorities in Congress. This will not only result in a stronger economy, innovative technologies, and the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs, but also a more stable and sustainable world.

I want to welcome our entire distinguished panel to this morning’s hearing. I look forward to your testimony and to your recommendations for improving H.R. 906.