Solving the Climate Crisis: Key Accomplishments, Additional Opportunities, and the Need for Continued Action
The hearing will examine legislation passed by the U.S. Congress during its 116th and 117th sessions to address the climate crisis, invest in a clean energy economy, and support a healthy, resilient, and just America. It will also highlight additional policies and investments needed from Congress to address the challenges and consequences of the climate crisis.
"We’re proud of our progress. But at the same time, we know that there’s much more we must do. That is why we have devoted this hearing not just to evaluating what we’ve accomplished, but also to future action as we prepare a new and revised Climate Crisis Action Plan to spur further innovation." - U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor
The committee will receive testimony from:
Greg Wetstone, President and CEO, American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE). Wetstone leads ACORE's efforts to unite finance, policy, and technology to accelerate the transition to a renewable energy economy. He previously served as Vice President for Terra-Gen Power LLC, a renewable energy company with utility-scale wind, solar, and geothermal energy facilities; as Senior Director for Government and Public Affairs at the American Wind Energy Association; and as Director of Programs at the Natural Resources Defense Council, where he founded the legislative program.
Read Mr. Wetstone's testimony.
Honorable Alice Hill, Senior Fellow for Climate Change Policy, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). As the David M. Rubenstein senior fellow for energy and the environment at CFR, Hill focuses on the risks, consequences, and responses associated with climate change. She previously served as special assistant to President Obama and senior director for resilience policy on the National Security Council staff, where she led the development of national policy to build resilience to catastrophic risks, including climate change.
Read Hon. Hill's testimony.
Dana Johnson, Senior Director of Strategy and Federal Policy, WE ACT for Environmental Justice. Johnson leads advocacy, regulatory, and policy-setting at WE ACT, an organization that aims to ensure that people of color and low income residents participate meaningfully in the creation of environmental health and protection policies. She is also a Board Member of Green 2.0, a non-profit that works to diversify the voices and leadership of environmental movements and causes.
Read Ms. Johnson's testimony.
Rev. Dr. Jessica Moerman, Vice President for Science and Policy, Evangelical Environmental Network. Dr. Moerman is a climate and environmental scientist, pastor, educator, and advocate. Prior to joining EEN, she was a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Moerman received her Ph.D. in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences from the Georgia Institute of Technology and has held research positions at John Hopkins University, University of Michigan, and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
Brad Markell, Executive Director, AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council (IUC). Markell leads the AFL-CIO IUC, which works to build and advance policy frameworks that support manufacturing in the United States and is comprised of 11 unions with over 2 million members, including nearly one million directly employed in the manufacturing sector. Previously, he was an International Representative with the UAW in Detroit for 15 years, where his duties included helping develop and advance the union’s positions on energy and environmental policy.
Read Mr. Markell's testimony.
Dr. Michelle Michot Foss, Fellow in Energy, Minerals, and Materials, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University. At the Baker Institute, Dr. Foss develops policies and conducts research to help build capacity on non-fuel minerals supply chains. She previously served as the chief energy economist and head of the Bureau of Economic Geology’s Center for Energy Economics at the University of Texas at Austin. She was also a UH Shell Interdisciplinary Scholar with grants on North American gas and power integration and national oil companies.
