Climate change is real, caused by human activity, and an urgent threat to our way of life. For too long, scientific warnings were ignored and now we’re at a crisis point. To avoid a major, irreversible catastrophe, we must take bold action to become carbon neutral by 2050.
This page was designed to keep you updated about the progress Congress is making to fight climate change—but this is just a starting point. Think I should add another bill to this list? Contact my office here.
Together, these bills take immediate and comprehensive action to combat and mitigate the climate crisis.
Maine has been acutely affected by the climate crisis. The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99% of other bodies of water on the planet. Rates of asthma and Lyme disease have grown exponentially. Acidifying waters are making it harder for shellfish to grow their shells. Coastal flooding and sea level rise have increase dramatically.
The natural resources that make our state beautiful and valuable are under massive threat. The below bills are ones that I’ve introduced to protect our working waterfronts, understand and prevent ocean acidification, and stop food waste so we lessen the amount of methane gas coming from food in landfills.
This bill sets a goal of reaching net-zero emissions from the agriculture sector by 2040 through six concrete policy areas that offer solutions rooted in science and are farmer-driven.
This bill would create a Working Waterfront Grant Program and establish a Working Waterfront Task Force at the Department of Commerce. These resources would support coastal communities grappling with the climate crisis and preserve the character of coastal communities by protecting jobs, commercial
This bill would direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to support the current efforts of coastal communities, particularly those who are underserved and rural, that are already facing the impacts of ocean acidification and better equip them with the resources to respond.
This bill would require food manufacturers to decide which food products carry a quality date or a discard date. Will also allow food to be sold or donated after its labeled quality date, helping more perfectly good food reach those who need it.
Would require the Secretary of Commerce to establish a federal strategy for investing in the nation’s ocean-based economy with “Ocean Innovation Clusters” (ocean clusters)
Would allow working waterfronts situated along coastal areas and navigable waterways to claim a 30 percent tax credit on mitigation costs, up to $1 million, with annual adjustments for inflation.
It's hard to imagine a place like Maine without its iconic oceans and coastline—a crucial part of our state's history and landscape, as well as an irreplaceable resource for 30,000 thousand Mainers who make their living from marine-related industries. But currently, the Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99% of Earth's other waters, threatening our way of life.
Across the country, coastal communities are suffering from ocean acidification, rapidly warming oceans, and rising sea levels. States like Maine that rely on pristine oceans are experiencing toxic algal blooms, increasing amounts of plastics pollution, distressed marine habitats, and disruption in the fishing and tourism industries that are the backbone of coastal economies.
We must protect our coastal ecosystems while also preventing attacks on our oceans, such as oil and gas exploration.
Would make the Arctic Ocean off-limits to any future drilling proposals by prohibiting any new or renewed leases for the exploration, development, or production of oil, natural gas or any other minerals in the Arctic Ocean Planning Areas of the Outer Continental Shelf.
Would combat ocean and coastal acidification by reauthorizing and expanding NOAA's Ocean Acidification Program, the NSF's ocean acidification grants, and NASA's ocean acidification activities.
This bill would ban offshore oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic Ocean, Straits of Florida, and the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. It would prohibit the U.S. Department of Interior from issuing leases for the exploration, development, or production of oil or gas in these areas.
H.R. 3764: Ocean Based Climate Solutions Act (Grijalva)
This is an updated version to a bill introduced last Congress to modernize federal ocean management policy to account for climate change. The bill limits climate impacts on marine habitats, promotes carbon sinks in federal waters, advances Arctic conservation efforts with climate change in mind, modernizes fishing fleet fuel regulations and takes other steps to align ocean policies with modern environmental and economic reality.
H.R. 2750: Blue Carbon for our Planet Act (Bonamici)
This act would help protect and restore ocean ecosystems by strengthening federal research, creating a national map and inventory of these ecosystems and their sequestration potential, assessing the effects of containment of CO2 in the deep seafloor on marine ecosystems, and providing for the long-term stewardship and standardization of coastal blue carbon data.
Establishes the Blue Carbon Program within NOAA to further conservation objectives, research and evaluate blue carbon storage, and protect and restore blue carbon ecosystems.
H.R. 2750: Blue Carbon for Our Planet Act (Rep. Bonamici)
This bill would increase domestic and international coordination to enhance data collection and monitoring of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts.
H.Con.Res 113: Clean Water Act 50th Anniversary (DeFazio)
The Clean Water Act turns 50 on October 18th, this resolution celebrates that milestone, 50 years of progress, and continued commitment to its protections. The resolution highlights the value and importance of the CWA to our communities, environment, health, and economies.
H.R. 676: Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act of 2023 (Pingree) –PASSED HOUSE
This bipartisan bill would direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support the current efforts of coastal communities, particularly those who are underserved and rural, that are already facing the impacts of ocean acidification and better equip them with the resources to respond.
H.R. 9255: Save our Seas 2.0 Amendments Act (Bonamici)
This Act helps the congressionally-chartered Marine Debris Foundation, which tackles marine debris through advocacy and public-private sector partnerships, better carry out its mission by working with all government agencies.
This bill would place a moratorium on deep-sea mining activities in American waters or by American companies on the high seas. It also tasks NOAA and the National Academies of Science with conducting a comprehensive assessment of how mining activities could affect ocean species, carbon sequestration processes and communities that rely on the ocean.
H.R. 4536: International Seabed Protection Act (Case)
This bill would require the United States to oppose international and other national seabed mining efforts until the President certifies that the ISA has adopted a suitable regulatory framework to protect these unique ecosystems and the communities that rely on them.
If the United States doesn’t take immediate, economy-wide action at all levels of government, our health and natural resources that support our economic growth could face irreparable harm. We must prevent average global temperatures from increasing beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius through economic incentives, and we must take advantage of the opportunity before us to create good, clean jobs that transition our energy system and create a more equitable future for all Americans.
Creates a $1 billion/yr competitive grant program for ports and port users to purchase zero emission equipment and technology to reduce greenhouse gases and toxic pollution.
This resolution aims to use future stimulus and recovery measures to build a society that enables dignified work, increased racial, economic, gender, and environmental justice, healthy communities, and a stable climate.
H.R. 806: Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator (Dingell)
Would establish a National Climate Bank, to be funded with $20 billion over six years, and could create as many as 5.4 million clean energy jobs
Provides funding for roads, bridges, and rail, while also dramatically electrifying public transit systems including buses, school buses, railcars, and fleet vehicles. The bill also supports the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure nationwide and requires new renewable energy generation to offset the energy consumed by new electrified infrastructure projects. Grants will be distributed on an equitable geographic basis and in a manner that prioritizes frontline communities and low per capita income areas while balancing the needs of urban and rural areas
H.R. 2238: Break Free From Plastics Pollution Act (Lowenthal)
This bill would address plastic pollution at its source to stem the tide of plastic that is polluting our waterways and our ocean and affecting the health of humans and wildlife by: Requiring product producers to take responsibility for collecting and recycling materials; Requiring nationwide container refunds; Phasing-out certain polluting products; Implementing a fee on carryout bags; Requiring minimum recycled content; and addressing recycling and composting
H.R. 2307: Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (Deutch)
The bill would place a fee on carbon-based fuels and products that emit greenhouse gases such as crude oil, natural gas, and coal, and return 100 percent of the revenue to American households. It is estimated to reduce America's carbon emissions by at least 40 percent.
H.R. 1483: End Oil and Gas Subsidies Act (Blumenauer)
Would eliminate 11 provisions in the tax code that unfairly benefit oil and gas companies. Not only would the legislation ensure the United States is no longer providing tax subsidies to oil and gas at the expense of clean energy, but it would also increase the competitiveness of the energy industry.
H.R. 2664: Green New Deal for Public Housing Act (Ocasio-Cortez)
This bill would invest up to $180 billion over ten years in sustainable retrofits that include all needed repairs, vastly improved health, safety and comfort, and eliminate carbon emissions in our federal public housing. The legislation also provides funding to electrify all buildings, add solar panels, and secure renewable energy sources for all public housing energy needs.
The Green New Deal is a roadmap to making the nation carbon neutral within the next decade while creating green energy jobs. It calls for accomplishment of these goals through a 10-year national mobilization effort.
Encourages water conservation by directing federal agencies to procure water products labeled by WaterSense or designated under the Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program, and to adopt other water-conservation practices.
H.R. 7439: Energy Security and Independence Act of 2022 (Reps. Bush and Crow)
This bill is a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine by investing in renewable energy, electric transportation, and energy efficiency to reduce costs, emissions, and gas imports at home.
H.R. 9388: Protecting Communities from Plastics Act (Huffman)
This Act establishes stricter rules for petrochemical plants to safeguard the health of American communities and builds off the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act’s strong environmental justice protections.
Would require bank holding companies to align financing with science-based emissions targets if the company holds more than $50 billion in assets, in line with the trajectory set by the Inflation Reduction Act.
H.R. 5744: Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (Carbajal)
The bill would place a fee on carbon-based fuels and products that emit greenhouse gases such as crude oil, natural gas, and coal, and return 100 percent of the revenue to American households. It is estimated to reduce America's carbon emissions by at least 40 percent.
Would authorize USDOT to distribute $500 billion over ten years through a new grant to electrify existing transportation and build new electric transportation infrastructure
The agriculture sector contributes approximately 10% of total US greenhouse gas emissions, therefore farmers have the opportunity to reverse the effects of climate change by improving soil health and capturing carbon in their soil.
As an organic farmer for more than 40 years, I can tell you that farmers are our allies in the fight against climate change. Many farmers are already implementing climate-smart practices in their operations. If we give farmers and food producers the right incentives—and bring them to the table when we’re discussing climate policy—we can preserve our food system, cut down on emissions, and sequester carbon in our farmers’ soil.
Requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to identify and make publicly available best practices for implementing solar on agricultural land while preserving crop production. This clarity from USDA gives farmers the tools they need to make the best use of their land without running the risk of losing access to essential USDA programs like crop insurance.
This bill would add composting as a conservation practice for USDA conservation programs. Both the act of producing compost from organic waste and using compost on a farm would qualify as a conservation practice. It also would create new USDA grant and loan guarantee programs for composting infrastructure projects, including both large-scale composting facilities as well as farm, home, or community-based projects.
This bill would create a new EPA grant program for states, local, tribal, and territorial governments, and nonprofits, which would offer three types of grants: planning grants, measurement grants, and reduction grants, to reduce food waste.
For far too long, scientific warnings of climate change have been ignored. It is increasingly clear that to avoid major catastrophe, the United States must immediately reduce emissions and become carbon neutral by 2050. Thankfully, now more than ever, policymakers and the public agree we must act swiftly. This will take a myriad of approaches to reduce emissions from sectors all across our economy.
Includes a number of different policy options Congress should consider that address the need to a reduce emissions from the aviation sector, which accounts for 9% of the US’s transportation sector and which cannot easily be electrified, by supporting the production and use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel.
Would help cities and states across the country transition to cleaner public transit systems, including mandating
H.R. 1335: Electric Vehicles for Underserved Communities Act (Clarke)
Would establish an Electric Vehicle Charging Equity Program to create 200,000 charging stations nationwide in underserved communities by 2030, perform a national assessment on the status of, challenges to, and opportunities for greater electric vehicle charging infrastructure deployment in underserved and disadvantaged communities, and identify the communities with the least electric vehicle charging stations per capita throughout the United States, at zip-code and census tract levels.
Would eliminate the per manufacturer cap on electric vehicles, allow buyers to use the tax credit over a 5-year period, or apply the credit on the spot at the dealership to reduce the price of the vehicle, and extend tax credits for alternative fuel vehicles and charging infrastructure to incentivize the buildout of this important infrastructure around the country.
Expresses the sense of Congress that there is a climate emergency which demands a massive-scale mobilization to halt, reverse, and address its consequences and causes
H.R. 1684: Energy Storage Tax Incentive and Deployment Act (Doyle)
This bill would create a standalone investment tax credit (ITC) for energy storage technologies for utilities, businesses, and homes.
This bill would authorize $1 billion over 5 years at the DOE to fund a Clean School Bus Grant Program, providing grants up to $2 million to replace diesel-fueled buses with electric ones, invest in charging infrastructure, and support
This bill would close tax loopholes and eliminate federal subsidies for the oil, gas, and coal industries. While the 20 largest fossil fuel companies account for more than a third of global greenhouse gas emissions in the modern era, all while raking in absurd profits, American taxpayers today pay $15 billion per year in direct federal subsidies to the fossil fuel industry.
H.R. 3296: Nonprofit Energy Efficiency Act (Cartwright)
Would establish a new pilot program at the U.S. Department of Energy to provide grants of up to $200,000 to help nonprofit organizations finance purchases of energy efficiency materials for their buildings. This bill will enable America’s schools, youth centers, houses of worship, and hospitals to reduce their environmental impacts and greenhouse gas emissions, cut their operating costs, and better serve their communities.
H.R. 4440: Medium- and Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Act of 2021 (Barragan)
Would establish a rebate program to promote the purchase and installation of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) for medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles. The Environmental Protection Agency would administer the rebate program to reimburse operators of public and private fleets for the purchase and installation of EVSE. The program would be authorized for $250 million for FY 2022 – 2025.
Would provide rebates for the purchase and installation of electric appliances and equipment in single-family homes and multifamily buildings, with additional support for low- and moderate- income households.
H.R. 7018: Green Postal Service Fleet Act (Connolly)
Would prohibit the U.S. Postal Service from carrying out any purchase of a new fleet of delivery vehicles unless 75 percent of the new vehicles are electric or otherwise emissions-free.
Would 1) establish a goal of commercial planes emitting 50% less GHG and 50% less noise compared to 2021 levels, 2) authorize NASA to accelerate its work on electrified propulsion systems and integration of technologies to achieve noise and emissions reductions, 3) directs NASA to work with industry partners to carry out flight tests by 2025 and bring new planes into service between 2030 and 2040, and 4) requires NASA to provide guidance on new technologies to help FAA’s work to ensure safe and effective deployment.
This bill would close tax loopholes and eliminate federal subsidies for the oil, gas, and coal industries. While the 20 largest fossil fuel companies account for more than a third of global greenhouse gas emissions in the modern era, all while raking in absurd profits, American taxpayers today pay $15 billion per year in direct federal subsidies to the fossil fuel industry.
H.R. 7039: Stronger Communities Through Better Transit (H. Johnson)
Authorizes $20 billion annually for four years to transit systems for their operating budgets, with a priority for places with poor existing service, disadvantaged communities, and areas of persistent poverty. The funding would be in addition to existing state, local, and farebox revenue.
EPA will work with apparel manufacturers to develop a voluntary apparel sustainability label to place on products that will contain EPA-verified information relating to the carbon footprint of that product. The label will include information on the greenhouse gas emissions released during the production, manufacturing, distribution, consumer use, end-of-life reuse, and recycling of an item of apparel.
The climate crisis is already having devastating effects on the public health of our communities, with communities historically subject to injustice feeling the brunt of them. We need to be prepared to support communities that are most likely to be impacted and therefore more vulnerable to asthma, food-borne illnesses, and heat-related impacts all worsened by climate change, weather unpredictability, and highly polluted air.
H.R. 516: Environmental Justice Screen and Mapping Act (Bush)
Creates an interagency environmental justice mapping committee as part of the effort to document environmental racism and ensure a minimum of 40% of upcoming environmental and economic investments go to support frontline communities.
H.R. 1705: Environmental Justice for All Act (Grijalva)
Creates a Federal Energy Transition Economic Development Assistance Fund, paid for through new fees on oil, gas and coal companies, to support communities and workers as they transition away from greenhouse gas-dependent economies; requires federal agencies to consider cumulative health impacts under the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act when making permitting decisions and helps ensure that newly permitted projects do not harm human health; strengthens the Civil Rights Act to permit private citizens and organizations facing discrimination to seek legal remedies, and provides $75 million in annual grants for research and program development to reduce health disparities and improve public health in environmental justice communities.
H.Res 259: Resolution Expressing the Mental Health Impacts of Recurrent Climate-related Disasters on Youth (Thompson)
The resolution raises awareness about the:
Mental health pandemic of youth related to climate anxiety
Disproportionate impact of climate mental health issues on the youth in black, indigenous, and people of color communities
Calls for funding for resources to support the mental health of young people affected by the climate crisis.
Our reliance on fossil fuels has proven to be one of the biggest contributors to climate change. We must swiftly move towards energy sources that are net-zero carbon emitters, like wind, solar, and thermal energy. A combination of strong federal policy and robust investments will spur growth in the renewable energy economy, which will create millions of jobs across America, lower the cost of renewable solutions, and move us closer to achieving 100% net-zero emissions before it is too late.
This bill would prohibit utility companies from using ratepayer dollars to fund political activities, including the use of “dark money” to fund “ghost candidates,” hire private investigators to follow journalists, and influence news coverage to mislead voters and influence the outcome of elections. These utilities often are caught trying to halt the expansion of cleaner, cheaper energy like solar power and undermine the public interest
H.R. 891: Energy Resilient Communities Act (Barragán)
Authorizes technical assistance and grants for clean energy microgrids to support hundreds of new projects a year and prioritizes these microgrids and their environmental and clean energy jobs benefits for environmental justice communities.
Our government must do everything it can to gather all the relevant information on climate change, support additional research, and use it to guide us into the next steps of climate change solutions.
We also must support grant programs and education so the next generation will have the tools to fight climate change. Currently, only 30% of middle school teachers and only 45% of high school science teachers understand the extent of the scientific consensus on climate change, even though over 97% of actively publishing climate scientists agree that human activity is the primary cause of climate change.
This bill would create a grant program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to assist state and local education agencies, institutions of higher education, and professional associations to improve climate literacy.
H.Con.Res.56: Resolution supporting the principles underpinning Juliana v. US (Schakowky)
Juliana v. United States is a landmark federal constitutional climate lawsuit brought by 21 youth plaintiffs suing the executive branch of the federal government for contributing to the climate crisis. This resolution recognizes that our current climate crisis is disproportionately affecting the health, economic opportunity, and fundamental rights of children, and demands that the US develop a national, comprehensive, science-based, and just climate recovery plan to meet necessary emission reduction targets.
H.R. 3271: Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act (Cartwright)
This bill would help improve America’s public health response to climate change by supporting research, health impact monitoring, and preparation in the health sector and by developing a national action plan. It would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a National Strategic Action Plan to assist health professionals in preparing for and responding to the public health effects of climate change.
Gives homeowners the ability to tackle coastal erosion before losing their homes by authorizing the National Flood Insurance Program to give payouts for condemned structures and allowing advanced demolition or relocation funding.
Our waters, plants, animals, and lands are already feeling the effects of climate change. Once our natural resources are altered, these changes are usually irreversible.
While our natural resources are at risk in a changing climate, they can also play an important role in protecting us from some of the worst impacts of the climate crisis. We must enact legislation that protects our natural resources from senseless harm.
Would restore protections for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge stripped by the 2017 tax bill, which mandated oil and gas leasing and to preserve the Arctic coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, as wilderness in recognition of its extraordinary natural ecosystems and for the permanent good of present and future generations of Americans.
Creates parity for Native American tribes under NOAA’s Coastal Zone Management Act so they can access this critical federal funding to invest in projects to protect their communities and sacred sites from the impacts of climate change.
H.R. 668: The Boundary Waters Wilderness and Pollution Prevention Act (McCollum)
This bill would permanently protect the Boundary Waters refuge area by permanently withdrawing 234,328 acres of federal land and waters from the federal mining program and ban sulfide-ore copper mining in a portion of this water-rich ecosystem.
H.Res 69: Establishing a National Biodiversity Strategy (Neguse)
This resolution details policy recommendations for a National Biodiversity Strategy to comprehensively address the five drivers of biodiversity loss, secure and restore ecosystem services, and reestablish the nation as a global leader in biodiversity conservation. The Strategy would direct federal agencies to work collaboratively to pursue a range of actions within existing laws and policies and promote innovation for developing new laws and policies to protect biodiversity. This approach would mobilize a strong national response and create a blueprint for effectively tackling the challenge.
H.R. 3031: American Red Rock Wilderness Act (Stansbury)
Would protect – on behalf of all Americans – a portion of Utah’s spectacular Redrock country, an unparalleled landscape of deep red canyons, windswept mesas and fantastical sandstone formations.
H.R. 3853: Roadless Area Conservation Act (Gallego)
Would codify the Forest Service's Roadless Rule to provide permanent protection for roadless areas in federal forests and grasslands across the United States. The most high profile roadless areas are in the Tongass National Forest, which temporarily lost protections during the Trump administration before being re-protected by the Biden administration. But inventoried roadless areas are found in 42 states and Puerto Rico, supplying clean drinking water to local communities, serving as habitat for wildlife, fighting climate change by sequestering carbon, and supporting the outdoor recreation economy.
Would codify a 2023 Environmental Protection Agency decision to veto the Pebble Mine – a proposed copper-gold-molybdenum mining project in the Bristol Bay region of Southwest Alaska – under Clean Water Act section 404(c), into federal law
Our country once led the world on climate change solutions, but under the Trump administration, we’re lagging far behind. We must immediately re-enter the Paris Climate Agreement and reemerge as the global leader on climate change—which is one of our greatest national security threats.
H.R. 3961: Green Climate Fund Authorization Act (Rep. Espaillat)
This bill would authorize appropriations to the Green Climate Fund, an independent, multilateral fund established by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to help developing countries limit or reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.
H.R. 755: Expressing support for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow and reaffirming the United States commitment to international cooperation combating climate change. (Rep. Schneider)
This bill expresses support for COP26 and reaffirms the United States' commitment to international cooperation combatting climate change.
