SANTA FE, NM ' Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall participated in the March for Science in Santa Fe and delivered a speech on the importance of scientific integrity ' particularly in the face of climate change, the most significant challenge facing our planet. Udall is a cosponsor of the Scientific Integrity Act, a bill that would protect government scientists, including government contracted scientists working at Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories, from political interference when sharing information with the public.

Below are Udall's full remarks as prepared for delivery:

I am excited to honor scientists this Earth Day. I admire your intellect, drive and devotion to scientific reasoning and facts. Scientists work hard on the details to get the big picture right. At the heart of it, science is about asking questions ' and seeking answers ' so we can understand the world around us. Thank you to the scientists here today!

Policy makers need scientists so we can make good decisions. Science is not Democratic or Republican, it's not red or blue.

We're honoring scientists on Earth Day because too many scientists feel they are under attack for asking questions and telling the truth about our environment and how to address climate change. I am here today to say loudly so everyone can hear: I believe in science, and I am standing up for science.

I am standing up for government scientists ' at the EPA, at the National Institutes of Health, at the Department of Energy, and agencies throughout the government. They should be able to do their work for the American people without worrying about political interference.

I introduced a bill earlier this year to make sure federal government scientists are protected. It's called the Scientific Integrity Act. The bill makes sure that agency scientists can openly communicate their findings with the public, the press, and Congress. It authorizes disclosure of scientific reports and prevents them from being suppressed. I made sure the bill includes scientists who contract with the government - to protect scientists at the federal labs in New Mexico.

It also requires federal agencies that do research to develop scientific integrity policies. So that hiring and retention can't be based on politics, so scientific information used in policy decisions is based on accepted scientific processes, and to make sure whistleblowers are protected.

Climate change is the moral, political, and scientific challenge of our time. And we must face it head on, aggressively. The president's executive order to gut climate change initiatives will take us backward. I'm going to keep fighting to make sure the United States does its part to fight global warming, and I'm going to keep standing up so our children and grandchildren can have clean air and clean water.

Some Republicans in Washington want to repeal the BLM's rule to prevent natural gas waste. That rule will help save taxpayers here in New Mexico tens of millions of dollars, and will help shrink the methane cloud over the Four Corners. I'm going to keep fighting to keep that rule in place. So far, it hasn't come to the Senate floor, and we need to make sure it never does. I need you to keep pushing to prevent repeal and to protect New Mexico's taxpayers and our air and climate.

Things sound tough. And they are. But I'm optimistic. Why? Science is on our side ' the American people support fighting climate change, the international community is with us and environmental groups and scientists will fight the president in the courts. And the market is on our side too. Consumers want clean energy. More people are demanding energy from the wind and the sun, and that demand is supporting jobs. New Mexico can be a leader in clean energy. We have the all the resources to do it.

What can you do? Grassroots activism matters, your voice matters ' and we hear you. Together we can push through meaningful policies to fight global warming. It's the defining issue of our time. Thank you for your work on behalf of the planet.