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Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) spoke last night on the House floor to again urge GOP leadership to address the need to act on the issue of climate change. Tonko pointed to the dangers climate change poses to the nation’s transportation and infrastructure systems as yet another reason why the House should “stop denying reality and move forward” on a comprehensive plan to address the issue.

Click here to watch Rep. Tonko’s speech and see below for a full transcript:

Mr. Speaker, although the House continues to ignore climate change, others are busy assessing the problems and options to address the new situations that this nation and our world will face in a warmer world. 

The United States Global Change Research Program’s draft assessment suggests that we have work to do if we are to maintain a reliable, modern transportation system.  The Committee’s draft states that sea level rise, storm surge, extreme weather events, heat waves and other manifestations of climate change are reducing the reliability and capacity of our transportation system in many ways. 

The good news is the negative impacts can be reduced through re-routing, mode change, and other adaptive actions if we invest in our transportation network.  The states should not have to do this exercise alone.  The federal government should lead the effort to deal with and resolve climate change.  We can improve our infrastructure, reduce the costs of natural disasters, and ensure that our transportation network serves our nation’s needs well into the future – all while creating jobs.  Let’s stop denying reality, let’s address climate change, let’s move our nation and the world forward.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back.

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