Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) released the following statement today after the Environmental Protection Agency finalized its repeal of the Waters of the United States rule: “All Americans and virtually all industries rely on clean water. But the Trump administration has again chosen to dish out another favor to corporate polluters at great expense to the American people. The Waters of the United States rule has played a critical role in ensuring the health of our waterways and tributaries, and the Unite... Read more

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) today applauded the House passage of the Protecting and Securing Florida's Coastline Act (H.R. 205), which blocks new offshore drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, and the Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act (H.R. 1941), which blocks new offshore drilling along the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines. The legislation included an amendment to ban seismic airgun blasting in the Atlantic Ocean, an initiative Beyer spearheaded with his bipartisan Atlantic Seismic Airgun ... Read more

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) issued the following statement today on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) forthcoming methane rule: “The Trump Administration’s decision to deregulate methane will endanger American lives,” said Rep. Beyer. “Last month the planet experienced its hottest month in recorded history. The threat of climate change to human life and livelihoods has never been clearer, and yet the Trump Administration is acting to allow an increase in the dangerous emissions which cause i... Read more

U.S. Representative Don Beyer (VA-08), Co-Chair of the Endangered Species Caucus, released the following statement today after the Trump administration finalized regulations to significantly weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA): “We are in the middle of a global wave of mass extinction and history will judge us for how we treat those with whom we share this planet. Despite the major successes of the ESA, iconic species are facing increasingly daunting threats to survival. We have a moral resp... Read more

Today, New Democrat Coalition (NDC) Chair Derek Kilmer, NDC Vice Chair Scott Peters, and the NDC Climate Change Task Force, led by Task Force Co-Chairs Reps. Don Beyer, Sean Casten, Elaine Luria, and Susan Wild, released policy principles to combat climate change with the seriousness and urgency this crisis demands. In doing so, the NDC Climate Change Task Force seeks to address the climate challenge with the urgency the crisis demands and to embrace the notion that the U.S., through its powerfu... Read more

E&E News | A coalition of moderate Democrats is backing a climate plan that could draw interest from the business community for relying on carbon pricing and other market-based approaches to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The House's New Democrat Coalition, a caucus of about 100 centrist Democrats, released its principles today for addressing climate change, which the group called "a threat to the health, national security, economic prosperity, and future of our people and planet." The 11-pag... Read more

Today, Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA) and Francis Rooney (R-FL) introduced the National Ocean and Coastal Security Improvements Act (H.R. 4093). The bill would support coastal communities’ ability to prepare for and respond to a variety of coastal threats, including extreme weather events, climate hazards and changing ocean conditions by improving coastal infrastructure and supporting coastal research, resiliency, conservation and restoration work. “We are already beginning to experience the effects of ... Read more

Safe Climate Caucus co-chairs Reps. Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) and Don Beyer (VA-08) released the following statement today after the Trump administration announced its replacement for the Clean Power Plan: “After decades of progress, the United States’ air quality has slipped for the first time in decades under President Trump. One day after this report, the Administration announced its plan to rollback clean air standards that safeguard public health and help us act on the climate crisis. “This Ad... Read more

Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08) released the following statement today after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it would move the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture to Kansas City: “Once again, the Trump administration is toying with the lives of hardworking civil servants. Secretary Perdue’s decision to relocate the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture will have adverse effects on many families in Virginia’s Eighth Congr... Read more

U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA), David Schweikert (R-AZ), and Anthony Brown (D-MD) today introduced the Securing Energy for our Armed Forces Using Engineering Leadership (SEA FUEL) Act, which would direct the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to invest in carbon capture technology. “We have an opportunity to address both carbon emissions and military readiness with the SEA FUEL Act,” said Congressman Don Beyer. “We know that we need to address increased concentration of carbon i... Read more