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Rep. Stevens’ Statement on the Passage of H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act

May 2, 2019

Rep. Stevens voted in favor of the bill, which ensures the U.S. honors our commitments detailed in the Paris Agreement

WASHINGTON – On Thursday, May 2nd, Congresswoman Stevens released the following statement after H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act, passed the U.S. House of Representatives. The Climate Action Now Act ensures that the United States honors our commitments detailed in the Paris Agreement to curb the climate crisis and work to leave behind a healthy, safe, and sustainable world for future generations. H.R. 9 is supported by business, labor, faith, health, and environmental organizations.

“For the first time in a decade, we have a Congress that believes the scientific community, is eager to address climate change, and takes the responsibility of environmental stewardship seriously,” said Congresswoman Haley Stevens. “Today, I was proud to vote for the Climate Action Now Act, which would ensure that the United States honors our commitments detailed in the Paris Climate Agreement. This bill is a great first step as we continue to address the serious threat of climate change, build out our clean energy infrastructure, and promote our transition to a sustainable 21st century economy.”

On December 12, 2015, hundreds of nations came together to declare our joint commitment to tackling the growing climate crisis. Nearly 200 countries, including the United States, China, India, and the European Union, signed the landmark Paris Agreement to accelerate the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future.

On June 1, 2017, President Trump announced his intention to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement – making the U.S. the only country to reject the global pact. H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act, would prohibit federal funds from being used to take any action to advance the withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Agreement. The Climate Action Now Act would also call on the President to develop a plan for how the United States will meet the pollution reduction goals that we committed to the world in 2015.

Congresswoman Stevens’ record on climate change and the environment:

  • Congresswoman Stevens cosponsored and voted for H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act, which ensures that the United States honors our commitments detailed in the Paris Agreement.
  • Congresswoman Stevens led a letter to the House Ways & Means Committee, signed by over 100 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, calling for the committee to take up legislation to provide long-term certainty for a slate of clean energy tax incentives that would help combat the growing climate crisis and support American jobs in growing clean energy industries.
  • Congresswoman Stevens helped introduce the Vehicle Innovation Act, a bipartisan, bicameral bill to promote investments in research and development of clean vehicle and advanced safety technologies to increase fuel efficiency and reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil.
  • Congresswoman Stevens has been a champion of remanufacturing, the process by which used products are returned to good-as-new (or better) condition, reducing the strain of industrial processes on the environment. Specifically, Congresswoman Stevens introduced H.Res. 303, a bipartisan resolution expressing support for the designation of April 11, 2019, as “Remanufacturing Day.” She also wrote an op-ed in support of remanufacturing.
  • Congresswoman Stevens sent a letter to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler to express her deep concern that the federal government is not doing more to build up our own recycling and waste management infrastructure. She also convened a hearing as Chairwoman of the House Science Research & Technology Subcommittee to examine emerging recycling technologies and the gaps that prevent more of our plastics from being recycled.
  • Congresswoman Stevens sent a letter to appropriators in Congress to prioritize funding for climate change research in Fiscal Year 2020.
  • Congresswoman Stevens joined the PFAS Task Force and helped introduce the bipartisan PFAS Detection Act stating that “we need to understand the full extent of PFAS contamination in our communities so we can prevent these potentially dangerous chemicals from jeopardizing public health.”

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