Building Climate Resilient Communities
At 12:30 p.m. on Friday, June 11, 2021, The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis will hold a hearing titled “Building Climate Resilient Communities.” This hearing will take place remotely via Zoom video conferencing.
Featuring mayors of cities on the front lines of the climate crisis, this hearing will focus on how the federal government can help reduce climate disaster risks in neighborhoods across America, while fostering innovation and community leadership. The hearing will also focus on how to expand access to the tools and resources needed to manage climate risks at the local level, with an eye on environmental justice and ensuring no community is left behind.
"The building blocks of a stronger, resilient America are resilient communities and partnerships between federal, regional, state, county, local and tribal governments. It’s up to Congress to build those strong partnerships with smart investments and a shared vision for a net zero future." - U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor
READ REP. CASTOR'S OPENING STATEMENT
The committee will receive testimony from:
Eric Garcetti, Mayor, City of Los Angeles, California. A fourth-generation Angeleno, Garcetti has led Los Angeles’ efforts to tackle the climate crisis. In 2019, he launched the city’s Green New Deal, which aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Garcetti is a co-founder of Climate Mayors, a bipartisan network of more than 470 mayors demonstrating climate leadership across the country. He is also the current chair of C40 Cities, a network of the world’s megacities committed to addressing climate change.
Satya Rhodes-Conway, Mayor, City of Madison, Wisconsin. Rhodes-Conway has made climate action a central focus of her administration, launching the city’s Climate Forward plan this year to invest in resilience, expand sustainable transit, and ensure 100% of municipal electricity needs are met with clean energy. Rhodes-Conway is also the current co-chair of Climate Mayors. She previously worked with cities to implement policies that promote environmental and economic sustainability at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Read Rhodes-Conway's Testimony.
Keisha Lance Bottoms, Mayor, City of Atlanta, Georgia. A former judge and City Council member, Bottoms has led efforts to protect Atlanta’s most vulnerable residents from extreme heat and air pollution. Through the city’s Clean Energy Atlanta plan, she has committed the nation’s 10th largest economy to transition to 100% clean energy by 2035. During her time in City Council, Bottoms also successfully introduced and led passage of a resolution to require all new residential homes and public parking facilities to accommodate electric vehicles.
Kirsten Wallace, Executive Director, Upper Mississippi River Basin Association (UMRBA). Wallace is responsible for developing regional positions and fostering interagency coordination at UMRBA, which acts as a forum for interstate water resource planning and management on the Upper Mississippi River. She has over 10 years of experience in ecosystem restoration, navigation, and flood initiatives. Wallace also serves on the board of the Interstate Council on Water Policy, America's Watershed Initiative, and the National Waterways Foundation.
