constituents at the same time. and every time i left the hospital, as i do when i visit the va hospital in puerto rico, the question would come, how come these young men and women in uniform who are serving our country, who are defending democracy across the world, do not have the same rights that u.s. citizens across the rest of the country have? that is something we need to fix and i am hoping congress will provide for a process by which the 4 million u.s. citizens in puerto rico will be able to speak up and decide whether we become a state or not. i think we will decide that we want to and do what was done 50 years ago with an alaska and hawaii, and a few years before that, actually with oklahoma actually and mexico and some other new states at the beginning of the 20th century. .

host: at is it for today's "washington journal." we will take to the floor of the house of representatives. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

>> u.s. house gave eling in for what may be the last meeting before the 4th of july holiday. we expect the day to get started with one-minute speeches. the rule allows for three hours debate. now live coverage here on c-span. the prayer will be offered by our chaplain, father coughlin.

chaplain coughlin: lord god, you hold all in good order. yet you give us the freedom of choice in the realm of good conscience. it seems you achieve your own good purposes in and through your people whether or not they know your guidance or wait to learn from their own mistakes. be with all your people today in the decisions they make as a free people. provide them with insight and how to use their many blessings. even though you guide them by your spirit, hold them accountable for their deeds. before your divine tribunal and in the realm of public opinion. by personal integrity and right judgment, help all americans to establish credence before other nations so that seeing our good deeds may they glorify you, our

god, as our protector and guide now and forever. amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house her approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. >> madam speaker, i ask that the question be put on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. the speaker: those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the journal stands approved. >> i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentlewoman from hawaii, representative hirono. ms. hirono: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god,

indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker: the chair will entertain up to five requests of one-minutes on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? mr. kucinich: madam speaker, i request permission to address the house and -- for one minute. the speaker: without objection. mr. kucinich: millions of americans have been and are under the threat of wild weather changes, scorching heat, extraordinary cold and food and security. we're running out of time to craft practical, workable solutions to moderate the effects of global climate change brought on by global greenhouse gases. we're past the tipping point and instead of asking about saving ourselves we talk about saving the coal industry. our first steps on the path towards a clean energy future will leave footprints caked in coal because under the bill u.s. fossel emissions will not

fall until 2030. and they'll have the licensing of 25 new coal fire plants. it guarantees coal's future by spending $60 billion on an unproven leaky technology where co-2 is pumped into the ground. we can still save ourselves and the planet or we can save the coal industry. we can have a carbon-free and nuclear-free world which comes into harmony with nature's god with microtechnologies which will lower energy cost and make for a true declaration of energy independence. i'll soon be introducing a bill to accomplish just that. the american people are waiting to be inspired with a vision and a reality of a green future. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? mr. wilson: madam speaker, i ask permission to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized. mr. wilson: madam speaker,

president obama has stated that cap and trade would cause elect trick bills to skyrocket which forces families to pay more. he also declared yesterday that cap and trade would only be paid for by polluters. the president seems to imply through his statements that american families and small businesses, those who will see their electric bills skyrocket are the polluters who should pay for this legislation. i disagree. families, farmers, manufacturers and small businesses across america do not deserve this national energy tax. we do not need to threaten the financial well-being of american citizens or the competitiveness of american businesses in a global economy. house republicans have consistently offered and all-of the above energy plan that will invest new exploration in new resources and promote conservation. our strategy is built on the american spirit of ingenuity, not a repressive policy of higher taxes and job losses. in conclusion, god bless our troops, we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. and also, i'd like to extend my congratulations to

congresswoman ellen tauscher on her confirmation yesterday evening to serve in the state department of the united states. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from hawaii rise? ms. hirono: reest permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. hirono: madam speaker, today i'd like to recognize a brave young woman who was shot and killed while joining iranians in tehran who were demonstrating against the presidential election results. nata's name means the name in farsay. she wanted her voice to be heard and votes to be counted. the people from around the world, -- like the people from around the world, i have been touched by the voice of women

in iran. i ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the memory of nata and is supporting all of the courageous women in iran who are raising their voices and fighting for the fundamental freedoms and human rights that we so often take for granted. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? mr. shimkus: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. shimkus: thank you, madam speaker. here it is, 1,090 pages. if we pass this bill we get this, unemployed miners. in fact, last time 35,000 miners lost their jobs in ohio. if we pass the republican alternative, we get jobs, offsea drilling, fuel from coal, wind and solar, renewable fuels. i have an email from eight

electric co-ops in my district all say vote no. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from oregon rise? mr. defazio: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. defazio: unlike his predecessor, president obama recognizes the greenhouse gases and climate change are a real problem and must be dealt with. and in the tradition of the hugely successful clean water act and clean air act, he has ordered his environmental protection agency to develop rules to cap and reduce greenhouse gases. this bill today actually prohibits the e.p.a. from continuing to develop rules to regulate greenhouse gases in the tradition of the clean water act and the clean air act. instead, it turns to a market-based approach.

instead of a firm cap, regulating and reducing, this bill turns to carbon offset derivative futures that will be ensured by -- insured by credit default swaps. how quickly they forget wall street and a.i.g. and the damage they rot in the -- wrought in the financial sector. the market manipulators of enron corporation may have bankrupted their company, ken lay may be gone but they are truly embodied in this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas rise? mr. boozman: i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. boozman: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to honor the life of martin renic, a gracious contributor to the third district of arkansas who unexpectedly passed away last week.

marty was a philantropist, a preservationist and above all a friend who knew him. he spent the last 12 years as an arkansan. although he was a relatively new resident, you could never tell because of his passion for the community. marty is being described as a visionary and traveling in northwest arkansas you could see that vision come alive. his love of historic preservation transformed eureka springs. in 1999 he and his wife bought the 1905 basin park hotel and then the 1886 crescent hotel and spa. the renics restored these historic hotels and helped revitalize tourism to this town. they were instrumental in preserving the war eagle bridge. madam speaker, marty will certainly be missed. however, his legacy will live on for generations to come because of his generosity. i ask my colleagues to keep marty's family and friends in their thoughts and prayers during these difficult times and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the

balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> madam speaker, i ask to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman irecognized for one minute. >> this energy's fine print betrays his lawedible purpose. the real cap is on the public interest and the trade is from the public to the polluters. it's too weak to spur new technologies and green jobs. and administration analysis shows that doing nothing actually results in more renewable energy, electricity generation capacity than approving this bill. vital authority for the e.p.a. is stripped, but two billion additional tons of pollution are ok forever. incredibly entrusted to utility companies. exempting 100 new coal plants and paying builds to old king coal does indeed leave him a merry old soul. this bill is 85% different from

what president obama proposed just a few months ago. no wonder that his budget director called this type of legislation the largest corporate welfare program in the history of the united states. until greatly improved, until families share in the billions, this bill grants powerful lobbies. i cannot support it. . >> i rise in opposition to the cap and trade bill we'll take up shortly. agriculture is one of the nation's most energy intensive industries and will be negatively impacted by this legislation. even a small increase in operating costs could devastate rural farmers and ranchers and this bill could prove to be a huge burden on our agriculture producers. u.s. farmers would also be at a severe disadvantage compared to farmers and nations which do not have cap and trade systems with a correspondingly high input costs. yesterday i offered an amendment which would have helped defray increased costs of production and declining prices result interesting

increased imports or decreased exports. it's simply not appropriate for allowances to be setaside for other industries heard by this cap and trade bill, but agriculture is left out. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. murphy: madam speaker, i hope today we are going to pass a transformational climate bill that's going to not only grow jobs here in this country, but make us truly energy independent. when we get back from our break, it's time to turn our attention to health care. there's a lot of catastrophe around these issues, but in the american public there is no controversy over their desire to see a public insurance option. 689% -- 69% support. a 72% in a cbs "new york times" poll. 76% by nbc and "wall street journal." it's nonpartisan. 50% are republicans support it. over 80% of democrats. there might be a lot of controversy on the issue of energy or health care, but on the issue of whether or not americans want a public option

on their table as part of health care reform, the jury has been decided. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee rise? mr. duncan: i request permission to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. duncan: madam speaker, i have noticed that most environmental radicals come from very wealthy or very upperer income families. perhaps they do not realize how much they have hurt the poor and lower income and working people by destroying jobs and driving up prices. now those who seem to be the loudest saying they are for the little guy are about to pass a bill that's going to hurt the little guy most of all. this cap and trade bill is going to drive up prices for gas, for utilities, and especially cost for small businesses and farms. businesses in china and india will probably jump for joy because this is going to give them even greater advantages. and college graduates all over this country wonder why they keep having -- they cannot find good jobs and have to keep working as waiters and waitresses because this bill will drive even more jobs to other countries.

i hope everyone who is undecided on this bill will vote for the little guy instead of the big money environmental groups and the very big businesses which will benefit from this very costly bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house the following communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, madam, dear speaker, given my nomination by the president as undersecretary of the state of arms control and international security, this letter serves as my intent to resign from the committee on transportation and infrastructure effective today. signed, sincerely, ellen o. tauscher, member of congress. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the resignation is accepted. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? miss --

ms. matsui: i call up house resolution 587 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 82, house resolution 587, resolved that upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill, h.r. 2454, to create clean energy jobs, achieve energy independence, reduce global warming pollution, and transition to a clean energy economy. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule 21. in lieu of the amendment recommended by the committee on energy and commerce now printed in the bill, an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of h.r. 2998 modified by the amendment printed in part a of the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution shall be considered as adopted. the bill as amended shall be considered as read. all points of order against provisions of the bill as amended are waived.

the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill as amended on any further amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one, three hours of debate with 2 1/2 hours equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on energy and commerce. and 30 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on ways and means. two, the further amendment in the nature of a substitute printed in part b of the report of the committee on rules if offered by representative forbes of virginia or his designee which shall be in order without intervening of any point of order except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule 21. shall be considered as read. and shall be separately debatable for 30 minutes equally divided and controlled by the proponent an an opponent. and three, one motion to recommit with or without instructions. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlewoman from california is recognized for one hour. ms. matsui: for the purpose of debate only, i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. sessions. all time yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous materials into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. ms. matsui: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. matsui: madam speaker, before i begin my remarks, i would like to speak briefly about all that the speaker has meant to this body. since coming to congress i have watched ellen tauscher navigate the legislative and political waters of the house of representatives. she has always done so with uncommon grace, skill, and acuemen which we would all be well served to emulate. we will all miss her presence here in this chamber whether in the chair or on the floor. but we know that she will continue to serve her country

well in a new capacity as undersecretary for arms control and international security at the state department. madam speaker, h.res. 587 provides a structured rule for consideration of h.r. 2454, the american clean energy and security act. the resolution provides for three hours of general debate with 2 1/2 hours controlled by the committee on energy and commerce and 30 minutes controlled by the committee on ways and means. madam speaker, from coast to coast we are seeing the effects of our changing climate. just last week experts from 13 government agencies and several universities issued a new report on global climate change impacts in the united states. their analysis was clear. the global warming is caused by human induced emissions. this is also already having visible impacts in the united states. we are seeing these effects throughout our country.

from increases in heavy storms to rising sea levels. from earlier snow melt to alterations in river flows. these experts concluded that the negative effects of climate change will continue to worsen. climate change will combine with other air pollution, population growth, overuse of resources, and social, economic, and environmental stresses to create larger impacts that we felt around the world and here at home. for my constituents, this threat is very real and very urgent. california sea department water resources project projects that the sierra nevada snow pack will experience an reduction by 2050. these are not empty numbers. as california's climate warns, more of the water sheds will continue to peak storm's runoff. high frequency flood events are projected to increase as a result. we have no choice but to adapt

to these changing realities. in sacramento, we live at the confluence of two great rivers -- the sacramento and the american. as global warming intensifies, scientists predict greater storm intensity that could forever change these river's flow patterns. this means my district will have to cope with more direct runoff and flooding. i want to thank chairman waxman and chairman markey for working with me to ensure that this bill addresses california's water needs and the context of climate change. allowances are distributed to states for urgen projects to help fight extreme weather and flooding. these resources will be vital as we work to adapt to changing climates and more intense weather patterns. in order to deal with these issues and others that confront us all, the energy and commerce committee has held countless hearings on energy and climate change policy over the past 2 1/2 years. this year alone, we have convened over a dozen hearings

and heard from numerous experts as well as national and international leaders. in total, the committee has held over 40 days of hearings on energy and climate change policy over the past two congresses. during these deliberations, over 300 witnesses testified, including 130 in this year alone. whether or not we all agree with chairman waxman and chairman markey on the issue of global warming, and i personally do, we should all applaud the work these two chirmen have done to get us here today. this bill is not only an achievement for the american people, but also for our children and our grandchildren. by spurring a new era of clean energy jobs, this bill puts our economy on a new trajectory. because of this investment, our children and grandchildren will live in a country that is more sustainable, more economically viable, and more efficient than the country we live in today.

the legislation will create millions of new clean energy jobs and hands america's energy independence and protect the environment. specifically, it requires electric uetults to be 20% of the electricity demand to renewable and energy sources and energy efficiency by 2020. it also invests in new clean energy technologies and energy efficiency, including energy efficiency and renewable energy, carbon capture, and sequestration, and basic scientific research and development. it mandates new energy savings standards for buildings, appliance, and industry. and it reduces carbon emission from major u.s. sources by 17% by 2020 and over 80% by 2050. these are the nationwide impacts of this groundbreaking legislation. part of the brilliance of this bill before us today, though, is that it also gives tools to local communities to fight climate change on their own.

one of the way this is bill does so is through the transportation sector. transportation accounts for 30% of the greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere each year. therefore, effective climate change legislation must include a transportation component if we are going to achieve the emission reduction levels that science tisses say are vital to saving our planet. i appreciate working with committee on section 222 which seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through comprehensive transportation efficiency and land use planning. the way we plan our communities and transportation systems has a real effect on how well we reduce emissions from transportation. this legislation also protects consumers from energy price increases. according to estimates from the e.p.a., the reductions and carbon pollution required by the legislation will cost american families only 22 cents to 30 cents per day. though fighting global warming

is not just about preserving our current way of of life, it is also about creating a cleaner, stronger economy that will power the united states toward a clean energy future. e.p.a. analysis shows that the nation's gross domestic product would grow from $13 trillion in 2008. to over $22 trillion in 2030. while deploying clean energy technology and reducing global warming pollution. and consumption and economic measure of household's purchasing potential would grow by 8% to 10% from 2010 to 2015, and 23% to 28% by 2030. with the american clean energy and security act, we are making smart investments. we are giving entrepreneurs the tools they need to create clean energy jobs that demand american skills and that put our country in a strong position to compete internationally. madam speaker, with the american clean energy and

security act, we will show the rest of the world that america is back and we are ready to lead again. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. session: madam speaker, i would like to on behalf of my republican colleagues congratulate you for your wonderful new responsibilities that you'll have at the state department. congratulations on your senate confirmation yesterday. >> would the gentleman yield? i, too, extend my congratulations. as i understand it in charge of arms control. i think this is a particularly worthy day that you have this job still as a member of congress until the end of the day because you're going to need to repair a lot of arms on that side of the aisle after this vote's over. mr. sessions: reclaiming my time. i thank the gentleman. congratulations very much, ellen. congratulations very much, ellen.