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Climate Change and the Environment

Beyer Testifies On Natural Resources Committee Hearing On Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act

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Today, Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) made a guest appearance in a Natural Resources Committee hearing on his bill, H.R. 2795, the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act. His testimony, as prepared, is below (video of remarks as delivered here). The hearing is the most significant step procedural step forward to date for the bipartisan, bicameral legislation inspired by the work…

E&E News: Recreation economy booms, outpacing farming, mining

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Recreation economy booms, outpacing farming, mining BY KELLIE LUNNEY - 09/20/2019 Outdoor recreation, led by boating and fishing, made up 2.2% of the country's gross domestic product in 2017 and outpaced the overall economy's growth, according to a new government report. The outdoor recreation economy in 2017 accounted for $427.2 billion in GDP, generated $778 billion in gross…

Beyer Gives EPA’s Wheeler “Report Card” On Coal Baron Murray’s Action Plan

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Rep. Don Beyer, a vocal critic of the EPA during President Trump’s tenure, today got his first chance to question an EPA Administrator in the Trump era. He drew direct connections Administrator Wheeler’s leadership at the EPA and the list of requests which coal baron Robert Murray presented to Trump Administration officials shortly after Trump took office. Beyer framed the overview as a…

The Hill: Democrats propose bill to revoke Trump endangered species rollback

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Democrats propose bill to revoke Trump endangered species rollback BY REBECCA BEITSCH - 09/17/2019 Democrats are fighting back against a Trump administration rule that scraps numerous protections for endangered species. Legislation filed in the House on Tuesday would rescind a rule announced by the Department of the Interior in August that rolls back the Endangered Species…

New Democrat Coalition Releases Priorities for U.S. Climate Policy

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Today, the New Democrat Coalition (NDC), led by Chair Derek Kilmer, NDC Vice Chair Scott Peters, and the NDC Climate Change Task Force Co-Chairs Reps. Don Beyer, Sean Casten, Elaine Luria, and Susan Wild, released policy principles and endorsed legislation to combat climate change. In doing so, the NDC seeks to address the climate challenge with the urgency the crisis demands and to…

Chair Grijalva, Senator Udall Introduce Bill to Protect Endangered Species, Reverse Trump’s Changes That Will Add to Extinction Crisis

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Natural Resources Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), lead Democrat on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, introduced legislation today to repeal all three Trump administration final rule changes to the Endangered Species Act, which taken together will fundamentally change the way we protect threatened and…

Beyer Statement On WOTUS Repeal

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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…

Beyer Applauds House Passage of Bills to Protect Coasts from Dangerous Offshore Drilling and Seismic Blasting

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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…

Beyer Statement On EPA Methane Rule

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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…

Beyer Responds To Trump Administration’s Gutting Of Endangered Species Act

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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…