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Pelosi Salutes Goldman Environmental Prize Winners

April 26, 2007

Pelosi Salutes Goldman Environmental Prize Winners

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Contact: Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. â€" Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke this afternoon at the Goldman Environmental Prize luncheon. Below are her remarks as prepared:

â€Å"It is a pleasure to join you once again to honor the recipients of the Goldman Environmental Prize.

â€Å"Thank you to Richard Goldman who, with his late wife Rhoda, has been a passionate leader in the human rights and environmental movement. Richard, it is due to your leadership and creativity that we have the opportunity to honor these champions of the environment today.

â€Å"Thank you to the Sierra Club and the Conservation Fund for their help in arranging this wonderful event. With their leadership, generations to come will enjoy the majestic beauty of our earth.

â€Å"It is with wonder and awe at the tremendous accomplishments and incredible bravery that I join you today to salute the Goldman Prize winners.

â€Å"Their conviction and courage are an inspiration. In the face of overwhelming odds, sometimes even putting their own lives at risk, they stand up for their communities, for justice, and for the environment.

â€Å"In Canada, Zambia, Mongolia, Peru, Ireland, and Iceland, they are fighting for a better future for their own countries and also for all humanity.

â€Å"By fighting against deforestation and destructive dam-building, uncontrolled logging and illegal pipeline construction, poaching, and over-fishing, these individuals are making a difference not only in their communities and countries, but in the lives of individuals across the world.

â€Å"Here in Congress, my Democratic colleagues and I are fighting to ensure that the United States assumes an international leadership role in supporting the environment and environmental justice.

â€Å"To that end, this Congress is committed to fighting for cleaner air, cleaner water, and the preservation of natural resources and threatened wildlife. As stewards of the Earth, we must take ownership of our actions and responsibility for health of the planet. Future generations will depend on the decisions that we make today, which is why I created a Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming and the ‘Green the Capitol’ program.

â€Å"The Select Committee will address the critical issue of global warming by charting a new direction for our nation’s energy policy, focusing on the development of clean and renewable energies, improved energy efficiency, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The ‘Green the Capitol’ program will promote energy conservation and sustainability and demonstrate that Congress can lead by example to reduce energy consumption and waste.

â€Å"With your courage and passion serving as inspiration, House Democrats will continue to promote policies that protect the environment. It is our responsibility to the global community and to future generations to act before it is too late.

â€Å"Thank you to my colleagues from the House for joining us here to honor such talented and brilliant individuals. I know I speak for all of us when I thank you for your commitment to a better environment and a better future.”