Press Releases
Pingree Hails Congress’ First-Ever Report on Climate Crisis As "Groundbreaking"Maine 1st District Congresswoman Says Historic Report Outlines Actionable Solutions to Support Green Jobs, Stimulate Economy, Mitigate Climate Change
Portland, Maine,
June 30, 2020
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) hailed the release of Congress’ first-ever comprehensive report on climate change, authored by the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. The Select Committee was established at the beginning of the 116th Congress and is charged with developing concrete policy recommendations to mitigate the threat of climate change. The recommendations made in the report released today will be used by the 20 permanent House committees to produce comprehensive climate legislation. The report, Solving the Climate Crisis: The Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy, Resilient, and Just America, provides a roadmap for Congress to build a prosperous, worker-driven clean energy economy. The Climate Crisis Action Plan includes legislative initiatives offered by more than 100 House members, which would together transform America’s reliance on fossil fuels and put our country on a path to net-zero carbon pollution, incentivize a “green” economic recovery by investing in clean energy, and address the legacy of environmental injustice in low-income communities and communities of color. “Maine’s environment is inextricably linked to our economy, and I’ve fought during my Congressional tenure to make sure federal laws preserve Maine’s natural resources for generations to come. I’m proud that after years of inaction, Congress has turned the page on climate denial. As we face our post-coronavirus economic reality, Congress’ work to put our climate at the forefront is more important than ever,” said Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. “The Select Committee on the Climate Crisis’s groundbreaking report calls on Congress to take targeted action to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis and to build a more durable and equitable clean energy economy. A myriad of American challenges—from renewable energy to the warming of our oceans, our farms to transportation—are represented in this report, leading to a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach to this crisis. I’m proud to join my colleagues from across the country in addressing climate change with the urgency it needs and I look forward to working in my committees to address the specific recommendations in this report.” The Climate Crisis Action Plan is a comprehensive set of policy recommendations for congressional action to satisfy the scientific and moral imperatives to reduce carbon concentration in the atmosphere as quickly and aggressively as possible, make communities more resilient to withstand the impacts of climate change, and build a durable and equitable clean energy economy. The plan calls for a 100% net-zero emissions economy in the U.S. by 2050, establishing ambitious interim targets to assess progress and reduce pollution in environmental justice communities, and achieving net-negative emissions during the second half of the century. Pingree has been an organic farmer since the 1970s and is a nationally recognized policy leader on sustainable food and farming. The Climate Crisis Action Plan specially recommends timely action agricultural resilience and emission reductions,pointing to several of Pingree’s initiatives as possible tools for Congress to act on climate change. Pingree recently authored an op-ed in the Bangor Daily News about her bills which were included in the report, which are as follows:
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