Congresswoman Barbara Lee Applauds President Obama on Climate Action Plan, Calls for Congressional Action
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2013
Contact: Carrie Adams (202) 225-2661
Washington, D.C.— Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) released the following statement in response to President Obama’s Climate Action Plan which he outlined at Georgetown University. The President’s Climate Action Plan takes critical steps to address carbon pollution and climate change. It makes a commitment to cut carbon pollution in America, prepare the country for the impacts of climate change, and make the United States a leader in efforts to address it.
“I applaud the President for the Climate Action Plan that he laid out today. His plan would encourage investment in renewable energy, spur innovation through competitive grants, and challenge our best and brightest to make each kilowatt do more and each car go further with less, saving Americans money on their electric bill and at the pump. The President’s plan also recognizes the importance of conserving our grasslands, wetlands, and forests in the fight against carbon pollution.
“It is far past time to address climate change. For communities of color, who have shouldered a disproportionate burden of the effects of climate change, it is essential that we tackle this problem together. Low-income communities face higher occurrences of chronic diseases like asthma and are more vulnerable to natural disasters.
“There is no question that climate change will have major impacts on our way of life, but tackling it also presents a unique opportunity to put people back to work. We can work at improving our infrastructure, making our buildings more energy efficient, and establishing our country as a leader in clean energy innovation, and I look forward to working with the Administration on these and other issues.
“These are important steps forward, but they are not enough. Congress must act boldly to ensure that our children and their children have a healthy future and a healthy planet, and I will continue to work in Congress to help our country move forward on this critical issue.”
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Follow Barbara Lee on Facebook and Twitter at @RepBarbaraLee. To learn more, visit lee.house.gov.
Congresswoman Lee is a member of the Appropriations and Budget Committees, the Steering and Policy Committee, is a Senior Democratic Whip, former chair of both the Congressional Black Caucus and Progressive Caucus. She serves as chair of the newly formed Whip’s Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity. She serves on the Congressional Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition.