Climate Change and the Environment

Congressmen Don Beyer (D-VA) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ) led 49 other Members of Congress in writing to thank President Obama for the Department of the Interior’s decision to remove the Atlantic Ocean from the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Program.  The decision removes the Atlantic from any offshore drilling plans until 2022. “Offshore drilling… Read more »

Congressman Don Beyer expressed his strong approval of the Paris Agreement, signed today as part of a celebration of Earth Day in a ceremony in New York City.  “The Paris Agreement contains the kind of bold action needed to address climate change,” said Rep. Don Beyer. “Climate change represents the most significant threat to future generations. Our commitment today is crucial to… Read more »

Congressman Don Beyer welcomed today’s announcement from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell to protect Atlantic states, including Virginia, from offshore drilling. “One of the first things I did in Congress was join my fellow Virginia Congressmen Gerry Connolly and Bobby Scott in urging Secretary Jewel to block offshore drilling in Virginia,”… Read more »

Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) voiced his support for the joint agreement announced today by President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reduce methane emissions. The leaders announced today’s agreement in a ceremony at the White House to greet the Canadian Prime Minister, the first official visit by a Canadian head of state in two decades. “Today’s accord between… Read more »

U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA), Dave Reichert (R-WA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) introduced legislation today that would require the federal government to measure the outdoor recreation industry’s impact on the U.S. economy. The Outdoor Recreation’s Economic Contributions (REC) Act would direct the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis… Read more »

2015 was the hottest year in recorded history, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Both agencies confirmed today that the global average temperature recorded in 2015 was 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit over the 20th century average and surpassed last year’s record by .29 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking the annual global temperature record by the largest margin in the 136-year scientific record. Read more »

Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA) and Mike Honda (D-CA) welcomed the 100th co-sponsor to support their legislation, H. Res. 569, condemning violence and bigotry towards Muslim-Americans. Read more »

On the Eve of the Washington, DC premier of "A Walk In the Woods" this week, Congressman Don Beyer just returned from his 46th section hike of the Appalachian Trail. Read more »

Congressman Don Beyer welcomed the release of President Obama's final Clean Power Plan as an historic action on climate change: “Climate change is the existential crisis of our time. President Obama’s Clean Power Plan will combat this threat to our health, safety, and security of the generations who will inherit our environmental legacy," said Rep. Don Beyer. "Millions of… Read more »

Congressman Don Beyer released the following statement in response to the Department of Defense (DoD) Report on the National Implications of Climate Change:  “Today’s report from the Defense Department is another emphatic statement that climate change is not only real, but is a national security threat," said Rep. Don Beyer. "Sea level rise, drought and severe weather,… Read more »