New Democrat Coalition Chair and Climate Change Task Force Co-Chairs Statement on the Select Committee on Climate Crisis Action Plan
Today, New Democrat Coalition (NDC) Chair Derek Kilmer (WA-06) and NDC Climate Change Task Force Co-Chairs Sean Casten (IL-06), Don Beyer (VA-08), Elaine Luria (VA-02), and Susan Wild (PA-07) applauded the release of the Select Committee on Climate Crisis’s (SCCC) Solving the Climate Crisis: Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy.
The Climate Crisis Congressional Action Plan is an ambitious, science-based agenda that provides a roadmap for Congressional action to solve the climate crisis and reach net-zero emissions by 2050 through a just transition. The report references twenty New Dem -endorsed bills. The Coalition looks forward to reviewing the report and finding opportunities to advance shared priorities.
“There is no debate that climate crisis is real and it’s past time for bold action. Already, our communities are experiencing the devastating impacts of our changing climate, which is why this report and Congressional action is so urgently needed,” said NDC Chair Derek Kilmer. “The New Democrat Coalition has been leading the way in pursuing actionable and ambitious policies to combat climate change, and we are pleased that this report includes several bills endorsed by the Coalition. The NDC is committed to continuing to work with our colleagues to develop and pass bold, forward-looking policy solutions to meet the crisis with the urgency it demands.”
“Climate change is the challenge of our generation, and it’s a scientific fact that if we don’t reduce our emissions, the consequences will be catastrophic. The Select Committee on the Climate Crisis’ Staff Report is a serious, detailed roadmap for how we as a country can lower our greenhouse gas emissions, including everything from proposals on how to decarbonize our power and transportation sectors to ideas on how to leverage our agricultural resources to act as carbon sinks and get us to net negative emissions. I’d like to thank Chair Castor and the rest of my colleagues on the committee for their work on this report, and look forward to working with them as we take the next steps to translate the report’s recommendations into policy,” said NDC Climate Change Task Force Co-Chair Sean Casten.
“Taking decisive action on the climate crisis is one of the most meaningful policy changes we have the ability to make, and this moment requires bold steps forward,” said NDC Climate Change Task Force Co-Chair Don Beyer. “With this plan we have a roadmap towards a cleaner, safer future for the country and the planet. I deeply appreciate the hard work Chair Castor and her Committee members and staff put into this important document, and the time they spent consulting our colleagues, including the New Democrat Coalition and its Climate Change Task Force. This climate plan shows real leadership, puts forward real solutions to climate change, and demonstrates that House Democrats are serious about solving this problem.”
“We must take swift action to combat the climate crisis facing our nation, and I am pleased that the House Select Committee is supporting so many of the New Democrat Coalition initiatives and bills, including the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act,” said NDC Climate Change Task Force Co-Chair Elaine Luria. “As an engineer who operated nuclear reactors on aircraft carriers, I know that investing in alternative energy is vital not only for the advancement of clean, carbon-free energy alternatives, but is also critical for our national security interests.”
“Climate change is an existential crisis that impacts every aspect of our communities, and without innovative, deliberate action, the damage to our planet will accelerate and become irreparable,” said NDC Climate Change Task Force Co-Chair Susan Wild. “It’s time we start being proactive – not reactive – when it comes to tackling this crisis. This report demonstrates a step in that direction – a commitment to our next generation to take the health of their future planet seriously through bold, necessary policies. I’m thrilled to see that this report includes several of the climate forward bills we endorsed to create a sustainable future.”
The NDC has led on Congressional efforts on climate change. Following the release of the NDC Priorities for U.S. Climate Policy and initial slate of bill endorsements, the NDC endorsed a second slate of climate change bills aimed at leveraging every decarbonization solution available to advance a swift and just transition to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the latest. Climate change is a long-term problem that requires long-term solutions. The NDC will continue to advocate for the advancement of these priorities and policies in Congress, and where possible, pursue bipartisan, politically-durable solutions that meet this crisis in both its urgency and duration. The SCCC Action Plan advances two key components of the NDC’s 20 for 2020 Policy Agenda: the “Lead Global Climate Action” and “Transition to a Climate-Forward Economy” priorities. Read the full list of New Dem-endorsed climate change bills from the 116th Congress.
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