Washington, D.C. — Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-03), the ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulations and a member of the Safe Climate Caucus, spoke on the House floor yesterday afternoon on the importance of finding ways to mitigate the impact of climate change on American rivers. Grijalva emphasized the heavy reliance on the Colorado River for drinking water and highlighted the negative impact that climate change would have on the agriculture and communities that surround and rely upon the river’s resources.

“We need proactive solutions, we need strategies to manage and mitigate climate change and the impacts of climate change,” said Rep. Grijalva.“The majority has to deal with this question.It cannot be ignored.”

The Safe Climate Caucus members have made a commitment to talk every day on the House Floor about the urgent need to address climate change.The Caucus is chaired by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.).

Full text of Rep. Grijalva’s speech is available below and online here. The video is available at http://bit.ly/ZC7WVr.

Floor Statement of Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva

Safe Climate Caucus

April 18, 2013

Thank you. I rise today as a member of the Safe Climate Caucus.

Earlier this week, American Rivers published its annual list of the country’s most threatened rivers.Primarily because of over allocation, the Colorado River is at the top of that list.

This is a challenging place to be. Across our region, 34 million people rely on the Colorado River for drinking water.That includes cities like Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.It snakes through the Grand Canyon, and is truly is the lifeblood of Arizona. That’s why I continue to advocate for federal solutions to threats from uranium mining and other sources of contamination.

But the real threat, and the most serious threat, is climate change to health of this river and that should not be ignored.

Scientists predict climate change will reduce the Colorado River’s flow up to 30 percent by 2050, threatening all those communities, all those resources, including recreation and agriculture.

We need proactive solutions, we need strategies to manage and mitigate climate change and the impacts of climate change.The majority has to deal with this question.It cannot be ignored.

The Safe Caucus Climate has challenged the majority to a floor debate on climate change.We look forward to that opportunity, and for the sake of the Colorado River, that debate needs to happen.