S.Amdt. 3191

SA 3191. Mr. MERKLEY (for himself, Mr. Schatz, and Mr. Markey)
submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 2953
proposed by Ms. Murkowski to the bill S. 2012, to provide for the
modernization of the energy policy of the United States, and for other
purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

SEC. ____. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING CLIMATE CHANGE.

It is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) a global temperature increase of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit
or greater will lead to significant disruption to the natural
systems of the earth, including--
(A) increased droughts;
(B) more intense wildfires;
(C) rising seas;
(D) increased desertification; and
(E) acidifying oceans;
(2) the impacts referred to in paragraph (1) will result in
economic disruption, including significant impacts on the
farming, fishing, forestry, recreation, and other sectors of
the United States economy;
(3) the international community, representing more than 195
countries, agreed to take steps to avert 3.6 degrees
Fahrenheit of global temperature rise;
(4) in order to tackle climate change and achieve the goal
of averting 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit of global temperature
rise, all countries must meet and build on their pledged
efforts and do their fair share to address climate change by
transitioning to clean sources of energy;
(5) the final rule of the Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency entitled ``Carbon Pollution
Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: Electric
Utility Generating Units'' (80 Fed. Reg. 64662 (October 23,
2015)) (referred to in this section as the ``Clean Power
Plan''), has put the United States on a path to cut carbon
emissions from the electricity sector by 32 percent from 2005
levels by 2030 and transition to a clean energy economy;
(6) to adequately address the threat of climate change to
the United States economy, the President who takes office in
January 2017, will need to fully implement the Clean Power
Plan and other elements of the Climate Action Plan of
President Obama and develop additional measures to continue
progress toward greater reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
and a faster transition to clean energy; and
(7) the President who takes office in January 2017, should
work with Congress to develop a comprehensive plan by June 1,
2017, that--
(A) builds on the Climate Action Plan of President Obama;
and
(B) continues--
(i) carbon emission reductions by the United States; and
(ii) global leadership of the United States in addressing
climate change.
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