Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D – Ore.) was joined by International Relations Committee Democrats today in demanding a congressional hearing on global warming before the end of this session of Congress.
In a letter submitted on September 19th to the House Committee on International Relations committee chairman Henry Hyde, the members noted that “because both the global effects of and international solutions to this ‘climate crisis’ fall within our committee’s jurisdiction,” a full committee hearing is necessary. The full text of the letter follows.
Letter to the International Relations Committee
"I visited New Orleans as part of a small Portland delegation hosted by Mercy Corps, which has been on the ground in the devastated Gulf Coast region since early September of last year, helping people and communities recover from Katrina’s rampage.
"Visiting New Orleans was particularly poignant for me, since I’ve been haunted by a vision of its vulnerability since my first visit years ago, when I looked up to see ships sail by. My trip to SE Asia in the wake of the deadly 2004 tsunami only reinforced my concern, prompting me to look introduce legislation to help communities deal with disasters last summer. Today, a year after Katrina, I am struck by how much of my initial reaction to the storm remains valid."
-Congressman Earl Blumenauer
More than three years ago, Congressman Greg Walden and I began bringing people together to talk about the future of Mt. Hood. Thanks largely to the commitment of more than a thousand stakeholders who attended numerous public hearings, sent written comments, and provided valuable feedback on draft concepts and bill language, the Mt. Hood Stewardship Legacy Act (H.R. 5025) unanimously passed the House of Representatives in July.
Floor Speech regarding passage of HR 5025 (7-25-06)
I was pleased when earlier this month, Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith introduced S. 3854, the Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act, and that our bill was the basis for their legislation. Once we received their proposal, we sent it out to stakeholders for comments and feedback as soon as possible. With only a few legislative days left in this session of Congress, time is quickly running out. I am hopeful that Oregon’s Senators will be successful in passing their bill so that we all will be able to give Oregonians the holiday gift of lasting protections for Mount Hood.
Click here for the Mt. Hood Page
The most important Oregonian most people have never heard of passed away this past Monday.
Even though I knew Monroe would soon be leaving us, and even had quite a lucid farewell conversation with him a few days ago, it's still hard to believe that he is gone.
Here's a man whose lifespan of active political life stretched from the Hoover administration to George Bush the second. Monroe engaged in every single important political debate of our times from economics to foreign-policy to civil rights. He was in Indonesia, the year of living dangerously as one of the most powerful men in Oregon during the Truman administration when as a Democratic national committeeman for a Democratic administration when every elected leader was Republican; he had tremendous influence on appointments and policy decisions from judicial appointments and personnel decisions to policy direction. He was a journalist, an educator, and a politician but most of all a passionate advocate for making the world a better place.
Press Releases via RSS
