[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 26, 2023)] [Senate] [Pages S1377-S1378] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-26
Chamber: SENATE
Mr. CARDIN: on Saturday, Earth Day turned 53. For the past half-plus century, we have paused each spring to celebrate and reflect on our relationship with the natural world and to demonstrate support for environmental protection. This year's theme, Invest in Our Planet, served as a reminder of our responsibility to deliver Federal resources and spur innovation to ensure peace and prosperity for future generations. The environmental challenges facing our planet, fueled increasingly by climate change, are urgent and require immediate action. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency--EPA--nearly half of our rivers and streams are polluted by excess nutrients. During extreme rain events, river flow increases, pouring more fresh water into estuaries like the Chesapeake Bay. Stormwater runoff pushes nutrients, sediment, and other pollutants off the land and into rivers and streams. Excess nutrients then lead to the growth of harmful algal blooms that harm plants and animals. Pollution not only affects our aquatic life but can contaminate drinking water sources and impart costly impacts to recreation, tourism, and fisheries. Low-income and communities of color often face disproportionately high pollutant exposures. The communities who are most affected by nitrates are also less likely to be able to afford the necessary water treatment. That is why I applaud the Biden administration's focused attention on delivering the benefits of historic Federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. For too long, the Nation has underinvested in water infrastructure. Failing water infrastructure threatens the environment, and it risks people's health, safety, and livelihoods. Congress responded with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which delivers more than $50 billion to EPA to improve our Nation's drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. This is the single largest investment in water that the Federal Government has ever made. EPA recently announced $775 million in funding Congress appropriated for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, CWSRF. This funding, along with the investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is critical for communities across the country to upgrade their wastewater and stormwater systems, protect public health and preserve our precious water bodies. In its allotment, my home State of Maryland received $18.3 million towards improving water quality, toward a total of over $167 million this fiscal year to upgrade drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act also invested in EPA's geographic programs, including the Chesapeake Bay Program. These programs are long-standing, location-specific programs that help protect local ecosystems and communities from climate change, habitat loss, and pollution. I am also pleased to report that due in part to concerted efforts to control nutrient pollution, the Chesapeake Bay had the tenth smallest area impacted by low-oxygen water this past summer. Long-term trends indicate this ``dead zone'' where fish, crab, and other species cannot live because there is not enough oxygen in the water has been getting smaller. Low-oxygen or hypoxic water is caused by excess nutrients like nitrogen or phosphorus from agricultural runoff and urban and suburban stormwater entering the bay. It is encouraging to see that efforts to reduce nutrient pollution are making a difference. The Chesapeake Bay Program is a model for a regional partnership that unites an array of stakeholders--from producers to nonprofits to local governments--behind a common goal: Restore and protect the Bay. Globally, cooperation offers similar benefits. The recovery of the Earth's protective ozone layer announced in January is a hopeful example. The ozone layer plays a critical role in shielding us from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Human activities, such as the use of ozone-depleting substances like chlorofluorocarbons--CFCs-- have caused significant damage to the ozone layer. Fortunately, collective action to limit these substances, such as the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, an international agreement to protect the ozone layer, is allowing it to recover. According to the United Nations, if commitments like these stay in place, the ozone layer could fully recover to 1980 levels by 2040. However,we must ensure solving one environmental challenge does not create another. Hydrofluorocarbons--HFCs--which are often used as substitutes for ozone-depleting substances, are even more potent greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide. The Kigali amendment addresses this issue by adding HFCs to the list of substances that need to be limited in the Montreal Protocol. For our part, Congress not only passed the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act--AIM Act--to phase down HFCs, but also ratified the amendment. It was America's space Agency that demonstrated the link between hydrofluorocarbons--HFCs--and climate change. In 2015, a NASA study found that HFCs damage the ozone layer and that their impact could cause a 0.035 percent decrease in ozone by 2050. Today, federally supported science is returning the U.S. to the Moon: Artemis II is NASA's first crewed Artemis mission. On this 10-day long mission, four astronauts announced earlier this month will fly around the Moon before returning to Earth and test the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft capabilities that will help send more people to space in the future. This kind of exploration enables us to learn more about our planet and gather valuable data on the environment. I am so proud of the Marylanders involved with the mission, including Commander Reid Wiseman, with whom I had the opportunity to speak earlier this month. The flight, set to build upon the successful uncrewed Artemis I mission completed in December, will set the stage for the first woman and first person of color on the Moon through the Artemis Program, paving the way for future for long-term human exploration missions to the Moon and, eventually, Mars. This is the Agency's Moon to Mars exploration approach. Overcoming the challenges of working in space will lead to many more technological and scientific advances here on Earth in areas including healthcare, transportation, public safety, consumer goods, energy, information technology, and industrial productivity. I am heartened by all the positive changes to improve our environment, but there is still work to be done. The Inflation Reduction Act laid the groundwork to make a just, clean U.S. economy a reality, saving trillions of dollars from avoided illness and death, reduced property damage from climate-related disasters and sea level rise, and reduced costs related to increasing temperatures. Still, climate change and other environmental issues continue to pose a threat to Earth's health that disproportionally impacts vulnerable communities. Further steps will be needed to fully meet President Biden's pledge to reduce U.S. climate pollution by 50 to 52 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. We cannot become complacent; we must remain committed to taking action to protect our environment. I am confident that our Nation can further promote sustainability through thoughtful policies and legislation. This year, let us celebrate our achievements and not forget our responsibility to invest in our planet.