Senate Democrats Release Agenda For "Net-Zero Emissions" Clean Economy By 2050
The Senate Democrats’ Select Committee on the Climate Crisis has released a 263-page report detailing a “clean economy” agenda with “bold climate solutions.” Entitled “The Case for Climate Action: Building a Clean Economy for the American People,” the report, which repeatedly emphasizes economic growth and job creation, was developed by the ten-member committee chaired by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii).
Legislation must now be developed to meet the overarching goals of the committee:
- Reduce U.S. emissions rapidly to help achieve 100 percent global net-zero emissions no later than 2050.
- Stimulate economic growth by increasing federal spending on climate action to at least 2 percent of GDP annually—and ensure that at least 40 percent of the benefits from these investments help communities of color and low-income, deindustrialized, and disadvantaged communities.
- Create at least 10 million new jobs.
The report, while largely in the spirit of the Green New Deal platform – in particular in the listing of recommendations from environmental justice leaders – avoids any mention of that phrase. Several of the photographs in the report are of rallies and marches of Green New Deal advocates.
Unlike most Green New Deal advocates, the report makes space for “safer nuclear power” and “fossil generation paired with carbon capture and storage.” “Carbon capture and removal technologies are an essential supplement to decarbonization,” the report argues in an extended section.
An entire chapter of the report is dedicated to “Dark Money” – specifically, the “undue influence from the leaders of giant fossil fuel corporations” who “used weak American laws and regulations governing election spending, lobbying, and giving to advocacy groups to mount a massive covert operation” to “spread disinformation about climate change and obstruct climate action.”In order to advance bold climate legislation, we must expose the covert influence of wealthy fossil fuel executives, trade associations, and front groups that have done everything possible to obstruct climate action.
The report credits the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizen United decision with allowing “fossil fuel political power to effectively capture Republican elected officials nationwide.”
In addition to ten hearings, the committee held twelve in-depth hearings with advocates, four of which were exclusively with corporate executives (utilities, health care, insurance, and banks). Two meetings were held with international representatives (a United Nations representative and European central bankers). Two meetings were with union officials (one included environmentalists); two were with environmental justice activists and mainstream environmentalists; one was with youth climate activists. The last meeting was with surfers and surfing industry representatives.
Notably, the committee did not meet with any climate scientists in academia.
In addition to Schatz, the other members of the committee are U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.).
Hearings:
A Blueprint for Success: U.S. Climate Action at the Local Level (July 2019)
- Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Atlanta, GA
- Mayor Kirk Caldwell, Honolulu, HI
- Mayor Melvin Carter, Saint Paul, MN
- Mayor William Peduto, Pittsburgh, PA
- Mayor Ted Wheeler, Portland, OR
- Dr. Frank Luntz, founder and CEO, FIL, Inc.
- Kiera O’Brien, vice president of Students for Carbon Dividends
- Nick Huey, founder of the Climate Campaign
- Mike Richter, president of Brightcore Energy; Hall of Fame goaltender for the New York Rangers
- Jeremy Jones, founder of Protect Our Winters; professional snowboarder
- Caroline Gleich, professional ski mountaineer and adventurer
- Tommy Caldwell, professional climber
- Dr. Justin Farrell, professor, Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
- Dr. Naomi Oreskes, professor, Harvard University
- Morton Rosenberg, congressional scholar, Project on Government Oversight
- Dylan Tanner, executive director & co-founder, InfluenceMap
- Dr. Cecilia Martinez, co-founder and executive director, Center for Earth, Energy, and Democracy
- Michele Roberts, national co-coordinator, Environmental Justice Health Alliance for Chemical Policy Reform
- Celeste Flores, outreach director, Faith in Place
- Alice Hill, senior fellow for climate change policy, Council on Foreign Relations
- Laura Lightbody, project director, Pew Charitable Trusts Flood-Prepared Communities
- Mayor Tim Kabat, La Crosse, WI
- Rear Admiral Ann C. Phillips, United States Navy (retired)
- The Hon. John Conger, director, Center for Climate and Security
- Andrew Holland, chief operating officer, American Security Project
- The Hon. Sarah Bloom Raskin, former member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and Deputy Treasury Secretary
- Dr. Bob Litterman, founding partner and Risk Committee chairman, Kepos Capital; chair of the Climate-Related Market Risk Subcommittee, Commodity Futures Trading Commission
- Dave Burt, CEO and founder, DeltaTerra Capital
- Frédéric Samama, head of responsible investment, Amundi; co-author of “The green swan: Central banking and financial stability in the age of climate change”
- The Hon. Ernest Moniz, former U.S. Secretary of Energy; founder and CEO, Energy Futures Initiative
- Tom Conway, international president, United Steelworkers (USW)
- Vivian Satterfield, director of strategic partnerships, Verde
- Jeff Allen, executive director, Forth
- Brad Schallert, director of carbon market governance and aviation, World Wildlife Fund
- Rachel Muncrief, deputy director, International Council on Clean Transportation
Meetings:
Utility executives (June 2019)
- Alan Oshima, president and CEO, Hawaiian Electric
- Bill Johnson, president and CEO, PG&E
- Maria Pope, president and CEO, Portland General Electric
- Terry Sobolewski, president, National Grid Rhode Island
- Eric Olsen, vice president and general counsel, Great River Energy
- Richard Trumka, president, AFL-CIO
- Liz Shuler, secretary-treasurer, AFL-CIO
- Sean McGarvey, president, North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU)
- Cecil Roberts, president, United Mine Workers of America (UMWA)
- Terry O’Sullivan, general president, Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA)
- Paul Shearon, international president, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE)
- Warren Fairley, international vice president for Southeast, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers
- Austin Keyser, director of political and legislative affairs, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
- Eddie Bautista, executive director, New York City Environmental Justice Alliance
- Elizabeth Yeampierre, executive director, UPROSE
- Stephan Edel, director, New York Working Families
- Maritza Silva-Farrell, executive director, ALIGN
- Lisa Tyson, executive director, Long Island Progressive Coalition
- Marc Weiss, former board member, Sierra Club
- Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba of Mexico, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the 2019 Climate Action Summit
- Alexandria Villaseñor, co-founder, U.S. Youth Climate Strike; founder, Earth Uprising
- Jonah Gottlieb, founding youth member, National Children’s Campaign
- Levi Draheim, Juliana v. United States plaintiff
- Kevin Patel, co-deputy partnerships director, Zero Hour
- Lana Weidgenant, co-deputy partnerships director, Zero Hour
- Rachel Lee, head coordinator, Zero Hour NYC
- Daphne Frias, global outreach team, Zero Hour
Financial industry executives (September 2019)
- Roger Ferguson, president and CEO, TIAA
- Douglas Peterson, president and CEO, S&P Global
- Raymond McDaniel, Jr., president and CEO, Moody’s
- Edward Skyler, executive vice president for global public affairs, Citi
Signatories to the Equitable and Just National Climate
Platform (October 2019)
- Dr. Cecilia Martinez, co-founder and executive director, Center for Earth, Energy, and Democracy
- Michele Roberts, national co-coordinator, Environmental Justice Health Alliance for Chemical Policy Reform
- Dr. Mildred McClain, executive director, The Harambee House
- The Hon. Harold Mitchell, Jr., executive director, ReGenesis Project; former state representative, South Carolina House of Representatives
- Richard Moore, co-coordinator, Los Jardines Institute
- Dr. Nicky Sheats, Esq., chairperson, New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance; director, Center for the Urban Environment of the John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy at Thomas Edison State University
- Peggy Shepard, co-founder and executive director, WE ACT for Environmental Justice
- Jumana Vasi, senior advisor, Midwest Environmental Justice Network
- Dr. Beverly Wright, executive director, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice
- Sara Chieffo, vice president of government affairs, League of Conservation Voters
- Jessica Ennis, legislative director for climate and energy, Earthjustice
- Lindsay Harper, representative, U.S. Climate Action Network
- Cathleen Kelly, senior fellow for energy and environment, Center for American Progress
- Lissa Lynch, staff attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council
- Liz Perera, climate policy director, Sierra Club
- Frank Elderson, executive director of supervision, De Nederlandsche Bank; chairman, Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS)
- Nathalie Aufauvre, director general of financial stability and operations, Banque de France
- Dr. Sabine Mauderer, member of the Executive Board, Deutsche Bundesbank
- Dr. Egil Matsen, deputy governor, Norges Bank
- Katie Wickman, sustainability manager, Advocate Aurora Health
- Brett Green, manager for remote operations, Ascension Medxcel
- Bob Biggio, senior vice president of facilities and support services, Boston Medical Center
- Jon Utech, senior director, Office for a Healthy Environment, Cleveland Clinic
- Rachelle Reyes Wenger, system vice president of public policy & advocacy engagement, Dignity Health
- Elizabeth Rogers, policy analyst, Gundersen Health System
- Charles Goyette, director of sustainability, Inova Health System
- Jean Garris Hand, senior utility & sustainability consultant, Providence St. Joseph Health
- Michael Waller, director of sustainability, Rochester Regional Health
- Jeanine Knapp, sustainability leader, ThedaCare
- John Leigh, director of sustainability, Virginia Mason Health System
- James Slevin, national president, Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA)
- Anna Fendley, director of regulatory and state policy, United Steelworkers (USW)
- Collin O’Mara, president and CEO, National Wildlife Federation
- Kathleen Rest, executive director, Union of Concerned Scientists
- Tiernan Sittenfeld, senior vice president of government affairs, League of Conservation Voters
- Jason Walsh, executive director, BlueGreen Alliance
- Evan Greenberg, chairman and CEO, Chubb
- Mike Mahaffey, chief strategy and corporate development officer, Nationwide
- Melissa Salton, chief risk officer, Munich Re
- Ian Branagan, group chief risk officer, RenaissanceRe
- Greg Long, pro surfer
- Leah Dawson, pro surfer
- Dr. Cliff Kapono, pro surfer, journalist, and chemist
- Pete Stauffer, environmental director, Surfrider Foundation
- Katie Day, staff scientist, Surfrider Foundation
- Stefanie Sekich-Quinn, coastal preservation manager, Surfrider Foundation
- Vipe Desai, co-founder, Business Alliance for Protecting the Pacific Coast (BAPPC)
- Chris Evans, Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA)
- Shea Perkins, senior manager for culture & impact marketing, Reef
- Madeline Wade, vice president, Signal Group (on behalf of REI)
Draft Text of Coronavirus Bailout Bill: "This Is A Robbery In Progress."
Senate leadership is nearing completion of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, a staggeringly large stimulus and bailout package that is intended not to protect the American people during the COVID-19 pandemic but to transfer even more money and power to the corporate elite.
David Dayen writes: “This is a robbery in progress. And it’s not a bailout for the coronavirus. It’s a bailout for twelve years of corporate irresponsibility that made these companies so fragile that a few weeks of disruption would destroy them. The short-termism and lack of capital reserves funneled record profits into a bathtub of cash for investors. That’s who’s being made whole, financiers and the small slice of the public that owns more than a trivial amount of stocks. In fact they’ve already been made whole; yesterday Wall Street got the word that they’d be saved and stocks and bonds went wild. BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, is running these bailout programs for the Fed, and could explicitly profit if the Fed buys its funds, which it probably will.
This is a rubber-stamp on an unequal system that has brought terrible hardship to the majority of America. The people get a $1,200 means-tested payment and a little wage insurance for four months. Corporations get a transformative amount of play money to sustain their system and wipe out the competition.”
Jeff Hauser: “Democratic leaders acceding to a Mnuchin managed slush fund reveal themselves to be too tired and spineless to be entrusted with power.”
Matt Stoller: “Not one political leader is standing up against the Schumer-McConnell shift of power to Wall Street. No one on the populist left, neither Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren. No one on the populist right, not Josh Hawley or Tom Cotton. This was their moment.”
More Stoller, from his newsletter BIG: “Here’s why the bill goes up in value to $6-10 trillion:
- An additional $4 trillion from the Federal Reserve in lending power to be lent to big corporations and banks.
- Authorization to bail out money market funds, multi-trillion dollar unregulated bank-like deposits for the superrich.
- Authorization for the the government through the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to guarantee trillions of dollars of risky bank debt.”
Press Conference for House Resolution Encouraging Teaching about Climate Change in Schools
Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) will introduce a House Resolution in support of teaching climate change in schools on Thursday, September 19th, 2019. A press conference will be held beforehand at 11:00 am at the U.S. House Triangle. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) will be speak about her support for the resolution and the urgency of addressing climate chance. Other members of Congress have also been invited.
Youth climate advocates Jonah Gottlieb (National Children’s Campaign), Kate Roney and Christian Hernandez (Schools for Climate Action), and an educator, Nancy Metzger-Carter (Sonoma Academy, UN Climate Change Teacher Academy) will also speak in support of the resolution.
Representative Lee worked with youth and teacher climate advocates to craft a House Resolution supporting the teaching of climate change in schools because “the global impact of climate change and the urgency and magnitude of the challenge of addressing climate change will eventually fall on current students.”
The House Resolution declares climate change a social justice, racial justice, and human rights issue that disproportionately affects students of color and students in poverty, thereby exacerbating existing inequalities and limiting equality of opportunity. It also refers to a 2019 resolution by the California Association of School Psychologists that declared climate change a potential threat to the psychological and social development of children, in addition to known negative health effects.
One of the lead groups that collaborated with Rep. Lee was Schools for Climate Action, an initiative of the National Children’s Campaign, is a nonpartisan, youth-adult campaign that helps school boards, students councils and educational sector organizations pass climate resolutions calling on Congress to act and bringing awareness that climate change a generational justice issue.
The resolution has been endorsed by: The National Children’s Campaign, Schools for Climate Action, Global Oneness Project, National Association of Geoscience Teachers, National Center for Science Education, Principles for Responsibility Investment, Paleontological Research Institution, Rethinking Schools, Sierra Club and Teacher’s Advocacy Committee.
National Children’s Campaign
National Children’s Campaign advocates on behalf of the nation’s 74 million children. It is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization to serve as a catalyst to inspire, encourage and empower to make America’s children & youth a national priority by promoting health, education, safety, economic & environmental security through the power of strategic media and internet partnerships, experts, business and community leaders, celebrity spokespeople and grassroots effort.
Schools for Climate Action
Schools for Climate Action, A nonpartisan youth/adult campaign that works with the educational sector to pass climate resolutions that declare climate change as a generational justice issue and call on Congress to act.
Markup of S. 2299, Protecting Our Infrastructure of Pipelines Enhancing Safety (PIPES) Act of 2019
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene an executive session on Wednesday, July 31, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. in Hart Senate Office Building 216 to consider the following legislative measures.
Agenda
- S. 2297, Coast Guard Reauthorization Act of 2019, Sponsor: Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.)
- S. 2299, Protecting Our Infrastructure of Pipelines Enhancing Safety (PIPES) Act of 2019, Sponsors: Sens. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.)
Green New Deal Resolution Now Has 95 Co-Sponsors
The Green New Deal resolution, H.Res. 109/S.Res. 59, picked up 18 more co-sponsors as of this Wednesday (with committee assignments):
- Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA-14), Armed Services
- Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA-15)
- Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19), House Administration Chair
- Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-20), Agriculture, Ways & Means
- Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA-32)
- Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA-37)
- Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA-38), Ways & Means
- Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-CA-44), Energy & Commerce
- Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL-07), Ways & Means
- Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA-05), Appropriations
- Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD-03), Energy & Commerce
- Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD-07), Oversight & Reform Chair
- Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-MO-04)
- Rep. David Price (D-NC-04), Appropriations
- Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY-03), Ways & Means
- Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY-17), Appropriations Chair
- Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA-03), Education & Labor Chair
- Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA-09), Armed Services Chair
The updated list of co-sponsors is below.
Representatives
- House Sponsor Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14)
- Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ-03)
- Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA-02)
- Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA-05)
- Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA-06)
- Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA-11)
- Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-13)
- Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA-14)
- Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA-15)
- Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA-17)
- Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA-18)
- Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19)
- Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-20)
- Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24)
- Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA-27)
- Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA-28)
- Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA-32)
- Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA-33)
- Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34)
- Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA-37)
- Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA-38)
- Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA-41)
- Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA-43)
- Rep. Nanette Barragan (D-CA-44)
- Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA-47)
- Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA-49)
- Rep. Juan Vargas (D-CA-51)
- Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO-02)
- Rep. John Larson (D-CT-01)
- Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT-02)
- Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03)
- Rep. Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-DC-AL)
- Rep. Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL-20)
- Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL-26)
- Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-IL-04)
- Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL-05)
- Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL-07)
- Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09)
- Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA-02)
- Rep. Lori Trahan (D-MA-03)
- Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-MA-04)
- Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA-05)
- Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA-06)
- Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07)
- Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA-08)
- Rep. Bill Keating (D-MA-09)
- Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD-03)
- Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD-07)
- Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08)
- Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01)
- Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI-09)
- Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13)
- Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN-04)
- Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-MO-04)
- Rep. Gregorio Sablan (D-MP-AL)
- Rep. David Price (D-NC-04)
- Rep. B. Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12)
- Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM-01)
- Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY-03)
- Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY-05)
- Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY-06)
- Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY-07)
- Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY-09)
- Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-10)
- Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY-12)
- Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13)
- Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY-15)
- Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY-16)
- Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY-17)
- Rep. Sean P Maloney (D-NY-18)
- Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY-26)
- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01)
- Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-03)
- Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR-04)
- Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA-02)
- Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI-01)
- Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09)
- Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX-16)
- Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20)
- Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA-03)
- Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA-11)
- Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT-AL)
- Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07)
- Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA-09)
- Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI-02)
Senators
Senate Sponsor Ed Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts- Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA)
- Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT)
- Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
- Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
- Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ)
- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
- Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
- Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)
- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Green New Deal Resolution Picks Up Six More Co-Sponsors
- Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34)
- Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO-02), member of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis
- Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-MA-04)
- Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY-07)
- Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY-09)
- Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI-01)
The updated list of co-sponsors is below.
Representatives
- House Sponsor Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14)
- Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ-03)
- Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA-02)
- Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA-05)
- Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA-06)
- Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA-11)
- Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-13)
- Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA-17)
- Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA-18)
- Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24)
- Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA-27)
- Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA-28)
- Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA-33)
- Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34)
- Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA-41)
- Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA-43)
- Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA-47)
- Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA-49)
- Rep. Juan Vargas (D-CA-51)
- Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO-02)
- Rep. John Larson (D-CT-01)
- Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT-02)
- Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03)
- Rep. Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-DC-AL)
- Rep. Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL-20)
- Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL-26)
- Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-IL-04)
- Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL-05)
- Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09)
- Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA-02)
- Rep. Lori Trahan (D-MA-03)
- Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-MA-04)
- Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA-06)
- Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07)
- Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA-08)
- Rep. Bill Keating (D-MA-09)
- Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08)
- Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01)
- Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI-09)
- Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13)
- Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN-04)
- Rep. Gregorio Sablan (D-MP-AL)
- Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12)
- Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM-01)
- Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY-05)
- Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY-06)
- Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY-07)
- Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY-09)
- Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-10)
- Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY-12)
- Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13)
- Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY-15)
- Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY-16)
- Rep. Sean P Maloney (D-NY-18)
- Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY-26)
- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01)
- Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-03)
- Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR-04)
- Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA-02)
- Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI-01)
- Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09)
- Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX-16)
- Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20)
- Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA-11)
- Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT-AL)
- Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07)
- Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI-02)
Senators
Senate Sponsor Ed Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts- Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA)
- Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT)
- Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
- Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
- Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ)
- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
- Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
- Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)
- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Green New Deal Resolution Launches With 61 Representatives, 13 Senators as Co-Sponsors
Following Thursday’s announcement of the Green New Deal Ocasio-Markey resolution, supporters have announced several dozen co-sponsors, including 61 members of the House of Representatives (two non-voting) and 9 U.S. senators.
The list, from Justice Democrats, is below:
Representatives
- House Sponsor Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14)
- Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ-03)
- Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA-02)
- Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA-05)
- Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA-06)
- Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA-11)
- Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-13)
- Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA-17)
- Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA-18)
- Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24)
- Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA-27)
- Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA-28)
- Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA-33)
- Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA-41)
- Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA-43)
- Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA-47)
- Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA-49)
- Rep. Juan Vargas (D-CA-51)
- Rep. John Larson (D-CT-01)
- Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT-02)
- Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03)
- Rep. Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-DC-AL)
- Rep. Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL-20)
- Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL-26)
- Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-IL-04)
- Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL-05)
- Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09)
- Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA-02)
- Rep. Lori Trahan (D-MA-03)
- Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA-06)
- Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07)
- Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA-08)
- Rep. Bill Keating (D-MA-09)
- Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08)
- Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01)
- Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI-09)
- Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13)
- Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN-04)
- Rep. Gregorio Sablan (D-MP-AL)
- Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12)
- Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM-01)
- Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY-05)
- Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY-06)
- Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-10)
- Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY-12)
- Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13)
- Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY-15)
- Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY-16)
- Rep. Sean P Maloney (D-NY-18)
- Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY-26)
- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01)
- Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-03)
- Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR-04)
- Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA-02)
- Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09)
- Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX-16)
- Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20)
- Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA-11)
- Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT-AL)
- Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07)
- Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI-02)
Senators
Senate Sponsor Ed Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts- Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA)
- Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT)
- Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
- Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
- Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ)
- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
- Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
- Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)
- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
FULL TEXT: Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Markey Release Green New Deal Resolution
In front of the U.S. Capitol building, Rep. Alexandrio Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) today announced the introduction of resolution “recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal” that builds a just, full-employment economy to stop global warming.
The resolution now has 64 original co-sponsors in the House and 9 in the Senate.
The full text of the resolution (PDF) is below:
116TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. RES. _
Recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on _
RESOLUTION Whereas the October 2018 report entitled ‘‘Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C’’ by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the November 2018 Fourth National Climate Assessment report found that—Recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal.
Whereas, because the United States has historically been responsible for a disproportionate amount of greenhouse gas emissions, having emitted 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions through 2014, and has a high technological capacity, the United States must take a leading role in reducing emissions through economic transformation; Whereas the United States is currently experiencing several related crises, with—
- human activity is the dominant cause of observed climate change over the past century;
- a changing climate is causing sea levels to rise and an increase in wildfires, severe storms, droughts, and other extreme weather events that threaten human life, healthy communities, and critical infrastructure;
- global warming at or above 2 degrees Celsius beyond preindustrialized levels will cause—
- mass migration from the regions most affected by climate change;
- more than $500,000,000,000 in lost annual economic output in the United States by the year 2100;
- wildfires that, by 2050, will annually burn at least twice as much forest area in the western United States than was typically burned by wildfires in the years preceding 2019;
- a loss of more than 99 percent of all coral reefs on Earth;
- more than 350,000,000 more people to be exposed globally to deadly heat stress by 2050; and
- a risk of damage to $1,000,000,000,000 of public infrastructure and coastal real estate in the United States; and
- global temperatures must be kept below 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrialized levels to avoid the most severe impacts of a changing climate, which will require—
- global reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from human sources of 40 to 60 percent from 2010 levels by 2030; and
- net-zero emissions by 2050;
Whereas climate change, pollution, and environmental destruction have exacerbated systemic racial, regional, social, environmental, and economic injustices (referred to in this preamble as ‘‘systemic injustices’’) by disproportionately affecting indigenous communities, communities of color, migrant communities, deindustrialized communities, depopulated rural communities, the poor, low-income workers, women, the elderly, the unhoused, people with disabilities, and youth (referred to in this preamble as ‘‘frontline and vulnerable communities’’); Whereas, climate change constitutes a direct threat to the national security of the United States—
- life expectancy declining while basic needs, such as clean air, clean water, healthy food, and adequate health care, housing, transportation, and education, are inaccessible to a significant portion of the United States population;
- a 4-decade trend of economic stagnation, deindustrialization, and antilabor policies that has led to—
- hourly wages overall stagnating since the 1970s despite increased worker productivity;
- the third-worst level of socioeconomic mobility in the developed world before the Great Recession;
- the erosion of the earning and bargaining power of workers in the United States; and
- inadequate resources for public sector workers to confront the challenges of climate change at local, State, and Federal levels; and
- the greatest income inequality since the 1920s, with—
- the top 1 percent of earners accruing 91 percent of gains in the first few years of economic recovery after the Great Recession;
- a large racial wealth divide amounting to a difference of 20 times more wealth between the average White family and the average Black family; and
- a gender earnings gap that results in women earning approximately 80 percent as much as men, at the median;
Whereas the Federal Government-led mobilizations during World War II and the New Deal created the greatest middle class that the United States has ever seen, but many members of frontline and vulnerable communities were excluded from many of the economic and societal benefits of those mobilizations; and Whereas the House of Representatives recognizes that a new national, social, industrial, and economic mobilization on a scale not seen since World War II and the New Deal is a historic opportunity—
- by impacting the economic, environmental, and social stability of countries and communities around the world; and
- by acting as a threat multiplier;
- to create millions of good, high-wage jobs in the United States;
- to provide unprecedented levels of prosperity and economic security for all people of the United States; and
- to counteract systemic injustices:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that—
- it is the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal—
- to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions through a fair and just transition for all communities and workers;
- to create millions of good, high-wage jobs and ensure prosperity and economic security for all people of the United States;
- to invest in the infrastructure and industry of the United States to sustainably meet the challenges of the 21st century;
- to secure for all people of the United States for generations to come—
- clean air and water;
- climate and community resiliency;
- healthy food;
- access to nature; and
- a sustainable environment; and
- to promote justice and equity by stopping current, preventing future, and repairing historic oppression of indigenous communities, communities of color, migrant communities, deindustrialized communities, depopulated rural communities, the poor, low-income workers, women, the elderly, the unhoused, people with disabilities, and youth (referred to in this resolution as ‘‘frontline and vulnerable communities’’);
- the goals described in subparagraphs (A) through (E) of paragraph (1) (referred to in this resolution as the ‘‘Green New Deal goals’’) should be accomplished through a 10-year national mobilization (referred to in this resolution as the ‘‘Green New Deal mobilization’’) that will require the following goals and projects—
- building resiliency against climate change-related disasters, such as extreme weather, including by leveraging funding and providing investments for community-defined projects and strategies;
- repairing and upgrading the infrastructure in the United States, including—
- by eliminating pollution and greenhouse gas emissions as much as technologically feasible;
- by guaranteeing universal access to clean water;
- by reducing the risks posed by flooding and other climate impacts; and
- by ensuring that any infrastructure bill considered by Congress addresses climate change;
- meeting 100 percent of the power demand in the United States through clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources, including—
- by dramatically expanding and upgrading existing renewable power sources; and
- by deploying new capacity;
- building or upgrading to energy-efficient, distributed, and ‘‘smart’’ power grids, and working to ensure affordable access to electricity;
- upgrading all existing buildings in the United States and building new buildings to achieve maximal energy efficiency, water efficiency, safety, affordability, comfort, and durability, including through electrification;
- spurring massive growth in clean manufacturing in the United States and removing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing and industry as much as is technologically feasible, including by expanding renewable energy manufacturing and investing in existing manufacturing and industry;
- working collaboratively with farmers and ranchers in the United States to eliminate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector as much as is technologically feasible, including—
- by supporting family farming;
- by investing in sustainable farming and land use practices that increase soil health; and
- by building a more sustainable food system that ensures universal access to healthy food;
- overhauling transportation systems in the United States to eliminate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector as much as is technologically feasible, including through investment in—
- zero-emission vehicle infrastructure and manufacturing;
- clean, affordable, and accessible public transportation; and
- high-speed rail;
- mitigating and managing the long-term adverse health, economic, and other effects of pollution and climate change, including by providing funding for community-defined projects and strategies;
- removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and reducing pollution, including by restoring natural ecosystems through proven low-tech solutions that increase soil carbon storage, such as preservation and afforestation;
- restoring and protecting threatened, endangered, and fragile ecosystems through locally appropriate and science-based projects that enhance biodiversity and support climate resiliency;
- cleaning up existing hazardous waste and abandoned sites to promote economic development and sustainability;
- identifying other emission and pollution sources and creating solutions to eliminate them; and
- promoting the international exchange of technology, expertise, products, funding, and services, with the aim of making the United States the international leader on climate action, and to help other countries achieve a Green New Deal;
- a Green New Deal must be developed through transparent and inclusive consultation, collaboration, and partnership with frontline and vulnerable communities, labor unions, worker cooperatives, civil society groups, academia, and businesses; and
- to achieve the Green New Deal goals and mobilization, a Green New Deal will require the following goals and projects—
- providing and leveraging, in a way that ensures that the public receives appropriate ownership stakes and returns on investment, adequate capital (including through community grants, public banks, and other public financing), technical expertise, supporting policies, and other forms of assistance to communities, organizations, Federal, State, and local government agencies, and businesses working on the Green New Deal mobilization;
- ensuring that the Federal Government takes into account the complete environmental and social costs and impacts of emissions through—
- existing laws;
- new policies and programs; and
- ensuring that frontline and vulnerable communities shall not be adversely affected;
- providing resources, training, and high-quality education, including higher education, to all people of the United States, with a focus on frontline and vulnerable communities, so those communities may be full and equal participants in the Green New Deal mobilization;
- making public investments in the research and development of new clean and renewable energy technologies and industries;
- directing investments to spur economic development, deepen and diversify industry in local and regional economies, and build wealth and community ownership, while prioritizing high-quality job creation and economic, social, and environmental benefits in frontline and vulnerable communities that may otherwise struggle with the transition away from greenhouse gas intensive industries;
- ensuring the use of democratic and participatory processes that are inclusive of and led by frontline and vulnerable communities and workers to plan, implement, and administer the Green New Deal mobilization at the local level;
- ensuring that the Green New Deal mobilization creates high-quality union jobs that pay prevailing wages, hires local workers, offers training and advancement opportunities, and guarantees wage and benefit parity for workers affected by the transition;
- guaranteeing a job with a family-sustaining wage, adequate family and medical leave, paid vacations, and retirement security to all people of the United States;
- strengthening and protecting the right of all workers to organize, unionize, and collectively bargain free of coercion, intimidation, and harassment;
- strengthening and enforcing labor, workplace health and safety, antidiscrimination, and wage and hour standards across all employers, industries, and sectors;
- enacting and enforcing trade rules, procurement standards, and border adjustments with strong labor and environmental protections—
- to stop the transfer of jobs and pollution overseas; and
- to grow domestic manufacturing in the United States;
- ensuring that public lands, waters, and oceans are protected and that eminent domain is not abused;
- obtaining the free, prior, and informed consent of indigenous people for all decisions that affect indigenous people and their traditional territories, honoring all treaties and agreements with indigenous people, and protecting and enforcing the sovereignty and land rights of indigenous people;
- ensuring a commercial environment where every businessperson is free from unfair competition and domination by domestic or international monopolies; and
- providing all people of the United States with—
- high-quality health care;
- affordable, safe, and adequate housing;
- economic security; and
- access to clean water, clean air, healthy and affordable food, and nature.
New Climate Committee Chair: Priorities Include Fuel Economy, Flood Insurance
“We are in a race against time,” Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), the incoming chair of the new Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, told reporters. In an interview with USA Today’s Ledyard King, Castor highlighted not just the urgency of the climate crisis but also her interest in pursuing new fuel economy standards and flood insurance reform, practical policy problems that have remained stalled under the Republican Congress and Trump administration.
While not enforcing a band on fossil-fuel contributions for members of the committee, Castor has pledged that she will not accept such donations as chair to “help build confidence in the committee.”
Castor’s plans come in the context of the vigorous push by youth climate activists and new members of Congress for an ambitious Green New Deal, that arguably would build on elements of President Obama’s economic stimulus package of 2009.
“There’s some fabulous proposals in the Green New Deal, and I’m excited about all that. You may see some similar language. Clearly, the focuses are going to be the same,” Castor told The Hill. “This will be a committee clearly in the spirit of the Green New Deal.”
“People don’t understand how forward-leaning the stimulus was on climate issues,” Castor told Michael Grunwald in a Politico interview. “It’s a road map for a Green New Deal.”
More highlights of Rep. Castor’s interview with The Hill’s Timothy Cama:“I’m hoping that folks will come to this committee ready to take on the corporate polluters and special interests. There shouldn’t be a purity test, that if a member of Congress has ever accepted contributions,” she said.Castor said she has decided not to take any donations from fossil fuel companies.
“I think me saying that right now will help build confidence in the committee,” she said, noting that such a pledge won’t be a “huge sacrifice,” since she has received just about $2,000 in campaign donations from the oil and natural gas industries during 12 years in office.
Q: Much of the information on climate change is out there. So what do you hope to accomplish with this new committee?Castor: We’re going to press for dramatic carbon pollution reduction. We want to win the clean energy future to defend the American way of life and avoid catastrophic and costly weather events that have dire impacts.
Q: What are some of the issues you want to pursue and how will you work with the standing congressional committees to achieve them?
Castor: Right off the bat, we will tackle fuel economy standards, make sure the Commerce Committee and the (Transportation and Infrastructure Committee) are focused on that. The Financial Services Committee has to do a flood insurance reform bill. We will be involved in that as well.
Q: You mentioned flood insurance. Representing a coastal district, you know what flooding and storms can do. Should we rebuild along the shore?
Castor: We shouldn’t be insuring at taxpayer expense homes and businesses that have been destroyed repeatedly on the shore. Folks know full well that they’re in hurricane’s path or flood’s path and they do that on their own. I’m concerned the (flood) maps are not up-to-date, that states and local communities are not acting fast enough to adopt policies to revise maps.
Q: Is there a concern you may getting in the way of standing committees who are already charged with environmental protection and climate change issues?
Castor: No, we’re going to be complimentary. This is a collaborative effort. It’s just being elevated because the threat to our way of life is at stake. It’s all hands on deck.
Q: What’s your response to Republicans who say the panel will be stacked with Democrats and have too much latitude to go after issues beyond its scope?
Castor: Look, we’ve had so much delay and Republicans have had their heads in the sand here in the Congress. I’ve just been through a time in the minority on (the) Energy and Commerce (Committee) where they refused to have even one hearing on the climate or hear any legislation dealing with the escalating cost of climate of extreme weather events. And I do see our jurisdiction as being very broad. We’re talking about the planet.
Q: How will the committee go about highlighting the consequences of climate change?
Castor: We intend to tell the stories of communities that are taking action despite the inaction from the Congress and the Trump administration. There are some conservative, rural areas that are going renewable and reducing carbon pollution and we’re going to shine a light on their good work. And for bad actors that know better, we intend to make sure they’re famous as well.
Q: Even if the House passes ambitious measures, their chance of becoming law is slim given the positions of the president and the Senate. So why try?
Castor: We don’t have time to wait. Whatever we can press to accomplish as soon as possible, we will do that.
Interview with Politico Pro:
Q: There’s obviously been a lot said about what others would like the committee to be. What is your vision for what the select committee will accomplish?CASTOR: I would like to have a blend of experience and new freshman members. Their transformative energy [that] they’re bringing to the Congress, it must be reflected on the climate crisis select committee.
Q:How quickly are you looking to fill those lawmaker slots and where will you be drawing your staff from?
CASTOR: We’re accepting some resumes, but I’m looking for scientists. I’m looking for folks who understand public policy. Maybe some people who have experience with the precursor to the New Green Deal, back when we did the Recovery Act and we did [the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009], because within those there are kind of the fundamental building blocks for what we have to do for drastic reductions in carbon pollution.
Q:What do you make of the basic outlines of the Green New Deal and what do you say to progressives disappointed with how the committee is structured in the end?
CASTOR: They shouldn’t be. This is a select committee on the climate crisis that is the spirit of the New Green Deal. When you look at the New Green Deal, they’re terrific general proposals and language. Our job now is to take that and put it into action: through law, through appropriations. The mechanics of that will be very labor intensive.
You said who should come onto this committee? It will be people who are ready to work very diligently. We simply don’t have time to delay.
Q:What’s the select committee’s role in policy formation?
CASTOR: We’re going to be a focal point for pressing for action. I know it’s been criticized we don’t have legislative authority. I would have liked to have had legislative authority — I asked the leadership for subpoena power and legislative authority. But in our discussions now, we will be the focal point for pressing all the committees to act. For example, the Energy and Commerce Committee: They have such a huge portfolio — I know, I’m on there. We’re going to be a group of members who are pressing them to have hearings and markups that need to put the carbon reduction policies into action, into law.
Q:And what might that dynamic look like?
CASTOR: Particularly on the subpoena power part. [Now-Sen.] Ed Markey, the previous select committee chair, they only used the subpoena power once. We’re going to work very closely with the standing committees if we ever need to subpoena anything. I’m not sure yet [if we will].
It’s very apparent the damage that the Trump administration is doing. There’s no secret to that. But this committee is going to be one that is going to press right away for [strengthened] fuel economy standards to challenge the Trump administration. I would foresee us passing a bill on that fairly early on in the Congress, so you have to work with E&C on that. Appropriations will be very important. Back to the Recovery Act — remember the investments we put in for ARPA-E and for energy efficiency grants back to local communities.
I also want the committee to highlight the good work that’s being done in … cities and towns all around the country. Since we know the Trump administration and the GOP Senate are going [to be] kind of a roadblock to very dramatic action, we want to highlight what’s being done in Republican communities and Democratic communities across the country where they are reducing carbon dramatically.
Q:Obviously the Democratic caucus is pretty diverse. There are some members who come from more fossil fuel producing states. How do you make sure you don’t leave anybody behind in the conversation?
CASTOR: You know, that’s one thing I appreciate about the general framework of the Green New Deal is the emphasis on making sure vulnerable communities are not saddled with the cost of the changing climate and the cost of action. We’re going to probably go to some communities that are not traditional — they’re not going to be Democratic bastions. There’s a huge impact in agricultural communities around the country. We’ve got to tell that story.
Q:What are you hoping from your Republican colleagues, or the type of Republican that gets added to the committee?
CASTOR: Folks who are ready to work, who are ready to roll up their sleeves. I’m very hopeful that — that’s one of the reasons we will go to those districts and those communities because nothing moves a member of Congress more than their local community pressing them for action. And I hope that we can build some bridges with our Republican colleagues in the Senate and maybe even in the White House. But that’s no easy task. That’s why we gave the American people — we need folks who understand we have a moral obligation to our kids and future generations to press them as well.
Q:What is your stance on climate and what makes you passionate about this issue? What made you step up and take this committee on?
CASTOR: Coming from the Tampa Bay area in Florida, I feel like my state has been in the bull’s-eye of extreme weather events, of massive cost increases because the climate is changing, of higher air conditioning bills, higher property insurance bills, more of our property taxes are being diverted to infrastructure investments in adaptation, flood insurance. Think about the massive, multi-billion dollar bills we have passed here in the Congress after a hurricane, wildfire or flood. I have young daughters — it’s one of the reasons I came to Congress, to fight for a clean and healthy environment. And now what we have on our doorstep is so much more significant than when I started in public service as an environmental attorney for the state of Florida right out of law school. It is defense of our country, the way of life as we know it.
Q:How much do you envision the committee will take on the companies behind fossil fuel production and greenhouse gas emissions?
CASTOR: Head on. Head on. And you know, we want to highlight the businesses that are eliminating carbon, the businesses that understand that maybe a little energy efficiency here is good. But we’ve got to press them to do so much more. We’re going to highlight the good actors and we are going to shine a very bright light on the polluters, the ones that are emitting the largest amount of greenhouse gases and press for a clean energy economy. And it’s a tall order but I think the American people are behind it and we simply don’t have time to wait.
Q:How do you do that in a way that sounds positive, that can maintain a big tent Democratic Party?
CASTOR: Sitting on the floor during the swearing-in was pretty remarkable — looking at all the kids from the most diverse racially and gender, religious Congress here. And there’s kind of an unspoken understanding among all of the members in the Democratic caucus especially and some of the Republicans that we simply cannot wait any longer.
The Congress has been so out of touch with the type of action that we need. And now we have this transformative freshman class that’s going to push us to take action and we simply have got to defend our way of life and not go backwards. It’s so frustrating. And I think that’s the message the American people sent. They watched the Trump administration go backwards, they watched a president who says, “Oh, I don’t know about climate, it may change back.” I mean, the people know that’s just ignorance.
Timeline: During Paris Talks, D.C. Breathed Life Into U.S. Oil Industry
Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), December 3:
Heinrich previously voted against a pro-exports bill that cleared the Energy and Natural Resources Committee on a party-line vote, but signaled that he could support exports if they’re coupled with strong renewable-energy incentives. “We are looking for things that bring people to the table from both sides,” he said. “I think there is a real opportunity here. I hope we realize it.”
“It’s effectively carbon-neutral” to allow crude exports, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) told reporters last week, “because you’re going to burn the oil someplace under the current regime.”
Tim Kaine (D-Va.), December 3:
“There is a wide range of opinion [in the Democratic caucus], some pro, some con,” Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, told National Journal. “The majority opinion is probably [that] we’d be willing to consider it if we got some very strong energy-efficiency and greenhouse-gas-reducing provisions along with it.”
Heidi Heitkamp, December 9:
“The good news is there is no one saying ‘absolutely no,’ and there is a range of belief systems in terms of what you would need in order to accomplish the lifting of the ban,” Heitkamp said Tuesday. “We believe we’re at a spot where we could actually get a deal.”’White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, December 9:
In a press conference on Tuesday, White House press secretary Josh Earnest reiterated the administration’s position, but wouldn’t threaten a veto of the omnibus or tax extenders package if a provision lifting the decades-old ban on crude oil was tucked inside.