"small band of
nay-sayers"?
Senator Udall tries to discredit my concerns with the global warming theory by calling myself, and others who are also skeptical of its veracity as a "small band of nay-sayers." One of those band members sent me an interesting link discussing a few other members of the band (about 31,000 trained scientists). Check out this interesting blog here..
Printed on 6/28/10
McCain, Udall agree, but they're still wrong
The hearing Sen. Mark Udall and Sen. John McCain conducted in Estes Park concerning climate change, Rocky Mountain National Park, and our other national parks was reported by some as a proof for global warming.
Having attended the hearing myself, I found that to not be the case.
Throughout the hearing, it was obvious that both senators assumed anthropogenic carbon dioxide is the primary reason for any changes that occur to our local climate. That assumption, however, was never substantiated or allowed to be challenged. Sen. Udall stated at the beginning of the meeting that they were not going to discuss or debate any of the merits of the global warming argument.
I can understand his desire for a focused discussion on the problems in the park, but I find it a bit troubling to intentionally steer away from discussing such a fundamental assumption.
The panelists scheduled for the hearing also talked as if they had no serious concerns with the global warming theory as the principle cause for changes in the ecological balance in Rocky Mountain National Park. However, again, no statistical, or other compelling evidence was mentioned that demonstrated a cause and effect relationship between global warming and the greatest immediate problem for the park today, the bark beetle infestation. The best case they made was to cite the stress of the recent drought and some mild winters.
The local drought " which no longer is with us " and some recent mild winters that favored the growth of bark beetle populations have very distant correlations to the theories that anthropomorphic carbon dioxide is warming our planet at a dangerous rate.
If global warming is the main reason for the bark beetle outbreak today, what explanation is there for the bark beetle problems Colorado had in the 1970s? Though not quite as widespread, I remember the bark beetle devastation southwest of Denver at that time. Back then, a drive down U.S. 285 showed the same tree kill as a trip along I-70 does today. How could that have been, as Colorado temperatures were, in the 1970s, at the lowest point we have seen in the past 80 years?
Additionally, to implement the course of action that global warming advocates urge, we must reduce carbon dioxide at virtually any cost. This will do little to help alleviate the bark beetle epidemic we are experiencing in Colorado today. The only direct effect would be to divert that much more of the money we could use to address the immediate ecological needs of our national parks.
In the brief moment I had with both of the senators, I encouraged them to push the federal government to be better stewards of our forests here in Colorado. We know how to develop healthy forests that are able to withstand bark beetles, but we have, instead, allowed dense monocultures of mature trees to grow. Such dense growths are the most vulnerable to disease and fire.
If this hearing was just another bully pulpit for the global warming advocates, it was not a step forward for the people of Colorado.
If the federal government ends up working harder to maintain healthy forests, then the hearing in Estes Park will have been a success. I trust that will ultimately be the case.
Republican Kevin Lundberg, of Berthoud, represents House District 49 in the Colorado Legislature.
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Rep. Lundberg, wise up: Climate change is real and impacting our national parks
In a recent column in The Colorado Statesman, state Rep. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, took issue with Sen. John McCain and me regarding the Senate National Parks Subcommittee field hearing that we held in Estes Park on the impacts of climate change on our national parks.
Rep. Lundbergs description of the hearing is inaccurate in several ways. He begins by asserting that I stated that the hearing would not discuss or debate any of the merits of the global warming argument. That is simply not true. What Sen. McCain said, and what I agreed with, is that the hearing would not examine the merits of the so-called cap and trade legislation in Congress.
Rep. Lundberg asserts that there is serious debate regarding climate change. With all respect, that is not accurate, either.
Rep. Lundberg has joined a discredited chorus that denies what climatologists and scientists such as the U.S. National Academy of Sciences have concluded: that climate change is real and human beings are in fact contributing to it through the release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. That is the reason that Sen. McCain and I did not take testimony on this question. And, contrary to Rep. Lundbergs description of the hearing, we did not assert that human activities are the sole cause of warming. But its clear that human activities are contributing to it.
Notwithstanding the small band of nay-sayers, we are faced with the reality of a warming climate that will have serious impacts on people and the environment. The point of the hearing was to examine these impacts and find ways to respond to them. The evidence of these impacts is all around us, and its especially pronounced in our national parks.
One of these impacts is the accelerated destruction of trees caused by bark beetles. Contrary to Rep. Lundbergs assertion, the hearing did not suggest that the warming climate is the sole reason that we are experiencing this insect epidemic " an epidemic that is also seriously affecting Rocky Mountain National Park, which was, in fact, discussed at the hearing. However, it is a part of the reason.
Bark beetles are a natural part of our forest ecosystems. They typically target trees that are stressed and over a certain diameter. The stresses on our forests that make trees more susceptible to a bark beetle epidemic include drought (contrary to Rep. Lundberg, we are still facing dry conditions; see the Colorado Water Conservation Boards Web site for more information), dense stands of even-aged trees, the suppression of fire (which acts to thin the forest and create diverse age classes of tree stands), and warmer winters (weeks of subzero temperatures can kill bark beetles and keep their numbers in check).
Any one of these factors can lead to greater than average outbreaks and, thus, produce large swaths of dead pine trees. When all of these factors occur together " as they have for this current epidemic " we can see large swaths of rust red trees.
Where Rep. Lundberg and I agree is on promoting forest policies that can reduce the extent and impacts from the bark beetle epidemic. That is why I supported the Healthy Forest Act, and I have authored legislation on this topic going back to 2000. I plan to introduce legislation in this Congress to provide further tools and resources to the federal land agencies, especially the U.S. Forest Service, where the impacts are most pronounced. We clearly need to employ thinning, controlled burns and other techniques to reduce fire threats and promote a healthier forest ecosystem for our future, while also finding productive uses for the removed material.
Again, respectfully, I have to take issue with Rep. Lundbergs assertion that those who support reducing greenhouse gases recommend doing so at any cost. Promoting the use of renewable energies and the wise use of nuclear power and fossil fuels like natural gas can, in fact, promote a stronger economy and benefit our national security. Costs are a factor, and should be balanced with the great gains that can be achieved by controlling emissions.
As Sen. McCain put it so well at the hearing, addressing climate change will create, and not destroy, jobs.
It does not advance these objectives to deny that human activity is a contributing cause of climate change. The testimony at the field hearing underscored the reality of these impacts and our need to help mitigate them. I hope that Rep. Lundberg can join us in responding to these
realities, even if he does not agree on the causes.
U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, Democrat, serves on the Armed Services, Energy and Natural Resources Committees and the Special Committee on Aging.
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In this situation, however, I will make an exception. The author is one of our United States Senators and, most importantly, he dismisses those of us who dispute the global warming theories as "a discredited chorus" and a "small band of nay-sayers."
Senator Udall should talk with more of his Colorado constituents before calling them a small band of nay-sayers. There are far too many Colorado citizens who believe that the global warming rhetoric is a lot more political posturing than hard science to let this slap at them pass. I write this letter to defend their honest, intelligent, and informed opinions.
We have yet to have a thorough debate on the merits of the anthropogenic global warming theory. At the most it is not a decided issue and a growing number of scientists and other citizens are coming to understand this. For my part I have conducted several hearings at our state capitol on the global warming theory and its impact on Colorado's energy resources. I have become even more convinced that man-made carbon dioxide is not the primary cause, if we have a global warming problem at all.
This is an important debate to have because it is is not just an academic tempest in a teapot. It is driving much of our domestic and international public policy. A large part of the "solutions" being proposed will force energy costs higher than many Colorado citizens can afford, or our faltering economy can sustain.
I am willing to publicly debate the global warming issue with the Senator at any time he would care to do so.
Even if he does not take my offer to publicly discuss global warming theories, I trust that in the future Senator Udall will show a greater respect for those of us who honestly disagree with him and not dismiss us as a "small band of nay-sayers."
State Senator Kevin Lundberg
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Newspaper Column Discussion with Senator Udall
Home / The Issues / Global Warming
- My Initial Comments in The Colorado Statesman, 8/28/09
- Senator Udall's Reaction to My Column, 9/11/09
- My Response to Senator Udall's Column, 9/28/09
I have reproduced exactly what the paper printed, including my being erroneously identified as a state representative.
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My Initial Comments in The Colorado Statesman, 8/28/09
LUNDBERG: BELIEVING HUMANS CREATE CLIMATE CHANGE DOESN'T MAKE IT TRUEMcCain, Udall agree, but they're still wrong
The hearing Sen. Mark Udall and Sen. John McCain conducted in Estes Park concerning climate change, Rocky Mountain National Park, and our other national parks was reported by some as a proof for global warming.
Having attended the hearing myself, I found that to not be the case.
Throughout the hearing, it was obvious that both senators assumed anthropogenic carbon dioxide is the primary reason for any changes that occur to our local climate. That assumption, however, was never substantiated or allowed to be challenged. Sen. Udall stated at the beginning of the meeting that they were not going to discuss or debate any of the merits of the global warming argument.
I can understand his desire for a focused discussion on the problems in the park, but I find it a bit troubling to intentionally steer away from discussing such a fundamental assumption.
The panelists scheduled for the hearing also talked as if they had no serious concerns with the global warming theory as the principle cause for changes in the ecological balance in Rocky Mountain National Park. However, again, no statistical, or other compelling evidence was mentioned that demonstrated a cause and effect relationship between global warming and the greatest immediate problem for the park today, the bark beetle infestation. The best case they made was to cite the stress of the recent drought and some mild winters.
The local drought " which no longer is with us " and some recent mild winters that favored the growth of bark beetle populations have very distant correlations to the theories that anthropomorphic carbon dioxide is warming our planet at a dangerous rate.
If global warming is the main reason for the bark beetle outbreak today, what explanation is there for the bark beetle problems Colorado had in the 1970s? Though not quite as widespread, I remember the bark beetle devastation southwest of Denver at that time. Back then, a drive down U.S. 285 showed the same tree kill as a trip along I-70 does today. How could that have been, as Colorado temperatures were, in the 1970s, at the lowest point we have seen in the past 80 years?
Additionally, to implement the course of action that global warming advocates urge, we must reduce carbon dioxide at virtually any cost. This will do little to help alleviate the bark beetle epidemic we are experiencing in Colorado today. The only direct effect would be to divert that much more of the money we could use to address the immediate ecological needs of our national parks.
In the brief moment I had with both of the senators, I encouraged them to push the federal government to be better stewards of our forests here in Colorado. We know how to develop healthy forests that are able to withstand bark beetles, but we have, instead, allowed dense monocultures of mature trees to grow. Such dense growths are the most vulnerable to disease and fire.
If this hearing was just another bully pulpit for the global warming advocates, it was not a step forward for the people of Colorado.
If the federal government ends up working harder to maintain healthy forests, then the hearing in Estes Park will have been a success. I trust that will ultimately be the case.
Republican Kevin Lundberg, of Berthoud, represents House District 49 in the Colorado Legislature.
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Senator Udall's Reaction to My Column, 9/11/09
UDALL: EVIDENCE OF HUMAN IMPACT ON CLIMATE UNDENIABLERep. Lundberg, wise up: Climate change is real and impacting our national parks
In a recent column in The Colorado Statesman, state Rep. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, took issue with Sen. John McCain and me regarding the Senate National Parks Subcommittee field hearing that we held in Estes Park on the impacts of climate change on our national parks.
Rep. Lundbergs description of the hearing is inaccurate in several ways. He begins by asserting that I stated that the hearing would not discuss or debate any of the merits of the global warming argument. That is simply not true. What Sen. McCain said, and what I agreed with, is that the hearing would not examine the merits of the so-called cap and trade legislation in Congress.
Rep. Lundberg asserts that there is serious debate regarding climate change. With all respect, that is not accurate, either.
Rep. Lundberg has joined a discredited chorus that denies what climatologists and scientists such as the U.S. National Academy of Sciences have concluded: that climate change is real and human beings are in fact contributing to it through the release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. That is the reason that Sen. McCain and I did not take testimony on this question. And, contrary to Rep. Lundbergs description of the hearing, we did not assert that human activities are the sole cause of warming. But its clear that human activities are contributing to it.
Notwithstanding the small band of nay-sayers, we are faced with the reality of a warming climate that will have serious impacts on people and the environment. The point of the hearing was to examine these impacts and find ways to respond to them. The evidence of these impacts is all around us, and its especially pronounced in our national parks.
One of these impacts is the accelerated destruction of trees caused by bark beetles. Contrary to Rep. Lundbergs assertion, the hearing did not suggest that the warming climate is the sole reason that we are experiencing this insect epidemic " an epidemic that is also seriously affecting Rocky Mountain National Park, which was, in fact, discussed at the hearing. However, it is a part of the reason.
Bark beetles are a natural part of our forest ecosystems. They typically target trees that are stressed and over a certain diameter. The stresses on our forests that make trees more susceptible to a bark beetle epidemic include drought (contrary to Rep. Lundberg, we are still facing dry conditions; see the Colorado Water Conservation Boards Web site for more information), dense stands of even-aged trees, the suppression of fire (which acts to thin the forest and create diverse age classes of tree stands), and warmer winters (weeks of subzero temperatures can kill bark beetles and keep their numbers in check).
Any one of these factors can lead to greater than average outbreaks and, thus, produce large swaths of dead pine trees. When all of these factors occur together " as they have for this current epidemic " we can see large swaths of rust red trees.
Where Rep. Lundberg and I agree is on promoting forest policies that can reduce the extent and impacts from the bark beetle epidemic. That is why I supported the Healthy Forest Act, and I have authored legislation on this topic going back to 2000. I plan to introduce legislation in this Congress to provide further tools and resources to the federal land agencies, especially the U.S. Forest Service, where the impacts are most pronounced. We clearly need to employ thinning, controlled burns and other techniques to reduce fire threats and promote a healthier forest ecosystem for our future, while also finding productive uses for the removed material.
Again, respectfully, I have to take issue with Rep. Lundbergs assertion that those who support reducing greenhouse gases recommend doing so at any cost. Promoting the use of renewable energies and the wise use of nuclear power and fossil fuels like natural gas can, in fact, promote a stronger economy and benefit our national security. Costs are a factor, and should be balanced with the great gains that can be achieved by controlling emissions.
As Sen. McCain put it so well at the hearing, addressing climate change will create, and not destroy, jobs.
It does not advance these objectives to deny that human activity is a contributing cause of climate change. The testimony at the field hearing underscored the reality of these impacts and our need to help mitigate them. I hope that Rep. Lundberg can join us in responding to these
realities, even if he does not agree on the causes.
U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, Democrat, serves on the Armed Services, Energy and Natural Resources Committees and the Special Committee on Aging.
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My Response to Senator Udall's Column, 9/28/09
When a letter disagreeing with something I have written is published, even if I am misquoted, I generally do not write a response. I have stated my case, they have stated theirs and that should be good enough for the discerning reader.In this situation, however, I will make an exception. The author is one of our United States Senators and, most importantly, he dismisses those of us who dispute the global warming theories as "a discredited chorus" and a "small band of nay-sayers."
Senator Udall should talk with more of his Colorado constituents before calling them a small band of nay-sayers. There are far too many Colorado citizens who believe that the global warming rhetoric is a lot more political posturing than hard science to let this slap at them pass. I write this letter to defend their honest, intelligent, and informed opinions.
We have yet to have a thorough debate on the merits of the anthropogenic global warming theory. At the most it is not a decided issue and a growing number of scientists and other citizens are coming to understand this. For my part I have conducted several hearings at our state capitol on the global warming theory and its impact on Colorado's energy resources. I have become even more convinced that man-made carbon dioxide is not the primary cause, if we have a global warming problem at all.
This is an important debate to have because it is is not just an academic tempest in a teapot. It is driving much of our domestic and international public policy. A large part of the "solutions" being proposed will force energy costs higher than many Colorado citizens can afford, or our faltering economy can sustain.
I am willing to publicly debate the global warming issue with the Senator at any time he would care to do so.
Even if he does not take my offer to publicly discuss global warming theories, I trust that in the future Senator Udall will show a greater respect for those of us who honestly disagree with him and not dismiss us as a "small band of nay-sayers."
State Senator Kevin Lundberg
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