Chair Castor At COP25: 'We Do Not Intend To Waste Any Time - Time Is Now For Climate Action’

Dec 2, 2019
Press Release
During Madrid Climate Talks, Select Committee Chair Touts 'Extraordinary Opportunity' To Expand Clean Energy

On Monday, Chair Kathy Castor (D-FL) made the following remarks during a press conference in Madrid, Spain, with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and members of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis at the 2019 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP25):

“This delegation from the United States is here to say: we are committed to climate action now. All across the United States of America, cities, states, businesses and academic institutions are lowering their greenhouse gas emissions and taking climate action.

This year, the House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation, including the Climate Action Now Act, which says the United States of America will remain committed to the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. But we're also focused on the future.

In March of 2020, under Speaker Pelosi's leadership and the united consensus of Democrats in Congress, we will release a climate action plan, a plan for the United States of America -through its congressional committees- to tackle the climate crisis: to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and to begin to adapt in a greater way to the climate crisis and its impacts.

This climate action plan will be an extraordinary opportunity to begin to really invest in the clean energy economy. In future years, we will see this transformation and opportunity in the energy sector, in the transportation sector, in agriculture for our farmers, in how we build buildings and where we build buildings, and in becoming more energy efficient. 

We intend to follow the science. And we intend to ensure that vulnerable communities across America -and across the globe- have every opportunity to participate in this clean energy economy and transformation. Together we will solve the climate crisis, and I'm honored to be a part of it, along with the outstanding members of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis."

Later, when asked about the Green New Deal by a member of the press, Chair Castor made the following remarks:

"We embrace the ambition of the Green New Deal. What is happening now in the U.S. Congress is the hard work that is necessary to develop the detailed policy proposals in the energy sector, how we decarbonize the energy sector. Same goes for the transportation sector, agriculture and energy efficiency. Now, when you develop detailed policy proposals, you're going another layer deeper.

Then all of the legislative committees, over the coming months, will turn those policy proposals into concrete legislation. We hope to build bipartisan support for a number of them. And we must do this with a sense of urgency.

All of the science points us in the direction that we do not have time to waste. So we do not intend to waste any time. The time for action is now."

 

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Background: The U.S. House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis is charged with delivering ambitious climate policy recommendations to Congress, in order to achieve substantial and permanent reductions in pollution and other activities that contribute to the climate crisis.

The select committee was authorized by House Resolution 6 on January 9, 2019, and will publish a set of public policy recommendations for congressional climate action by March 31, 2020.

Select Committee Members joining the Congressional Delegation in Madrid this week include: Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA), Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA), Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA), Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) and Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO).

Full list of Members of the Congressional Delegation:

  • Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
  • Chair Kathy Castor (D-FL), Select Committee on the Climate Crisis
  • Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) 
  • Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Committee on Energy and Commerce
  • Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Committee on Science, Space, Technology
  • Chair Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), Committee on Natural Resources                 
  • Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN)   
  • Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR)  
  • Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-CA)  
  • Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA)       
  • Congressman Scott Peters (D-CA)            
  • Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI) 
  • Congressman Mike Levin (D-CA)    
  • Congressman Sean Casten (D-IL)   
  • Congressman Joe Neguse (D-CO) 

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116th Congress