Skip to Content

Climate Change and the Environment

Fusion Caucus Celebrates House Passage of Bipartisan Fusion Energy Act

| Posted in Press Releases

Today, Congressional Fusion Energy Caucus Co-Chairs Lori Trahan (D-MA-03), Don Beyer (D-VA-08), Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03), and Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23) celebrated passage of their Fusion Energy Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bipartisan legislation will promote the development of fusion energy by codifying the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) decision to establish a…

Africa’s Donkeys Are Coveted by China. Can the Continent Protect Them?

| Posted in Articles

Originally published in: The New York Times For years, Chinese companies and their contractors have been slaughtering millions of donkeys across Africa, coveting gelatin from the animals’ hides that is processed into traditional medicines, popular sweets and beauty products in China. But a growing demand for the gelatin has decimated donkey populations at such alarming rates in African…

SEEC Urges Swift Finalization of PFAS Drinking Water Standard

| Posted in Press Releases

The leaders of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), including Co-Chairs Reps. Doris Matsui, Mike Quigley, and Paul Tonko, Vice Chairs Reps. Don Beyer, Matt Cartwright, Sean Casten, Chellie Pingree, and Katie Porter, and Chair Emeritus Rep. Gerry Connolly, sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)…

SEEC Praises Release of EPA’s Strengthened Clean Air Standard

| Posted in Press Releases

The leaders of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), including Co-Chairs Reps. Doris Matsui, Mike Quigley, and Paul Tonko, Vice Chairs Reps. Don Beyer, Matt Cartwright, Sean Casten, Chellie Pingree, and Katie Porter, and Chair Emeritus Rep. Gerry Connolly, released the following statement in response to the…

Fusion Fever Grips Capitol Hill. Will Big Funding Follow?

| Posted in Articles

Originally published in: Politico As Congress continues to struggle with thorny energy issues like permitting and grid reliability, one groundbreaking source of energy once known for “always being 30 years away” is uniting lawmakers. Fusion is having a moment. Leaders of the Congressional Fusion Caucus are attracting powerful lawmakers from both parties to ensure that the zero-carbon…

Nuclear is Fusing Republicans and Democrats

| Posted in Articles

Originally published in: Politico An increasing number of Republicans and Democrats are rallying behind a clean energy source — albeit one that is likely decades away. But it’s unclear if that growing support for nuclear fusion will translate into funding or progress on a technology that’s long been known for “always being 30 years away,” writes Nico Portuondo. Since its founding…

Markey, Heinrich, Eshoo, Beyer Introduce Legislation to Investigate, Measure Environmental Impacts of Artificial Intelligence

| Posted in Press Releases

Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Safety, Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), founder and co-chair of the Senate AI Caucus and a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Representative Anna Eshoo (CA-16), co-chair of the House AI Caucus, and Representative Don Beyer…

Beyer, González-Colón Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Enhance Coastal Resilience Efforts

| Posted in Press Releases

U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) and Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR-AL) today introduced the National Oceans and Coastal Security Improvements Act. The bill would support coastal communities’ ability to prepare for and respond to a variety of coastal threats, including flooding, extreme weather events, climate hazards and changing ocean conditions by improving coastal…

Beyer, Lawler, and Pingree Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Soil Health and Sustainability on Farms

| Posted in Press Releases

U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA), Mike Lawler (R-NY), and Chellie Pingree (D-ME) today introduced the Innovative Practices for Soil Health Act, bipartisan legislation to improve soil health on farms and support sustainable alternatives to annual agriculture by improving United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation programs to ensure they are better able to support…

On Fusion Energy

| Posted in Opinion Pieces

The 2023 film Oppenheimer conjures a dramatic story of how the top-secret Manhattan Project harnessed the power of nuclear fission for the controversial weapon that ended World War II. At the dawn of 2024, we are poised to harness the power of a different type of transformative energy — nuclear fusion. Fusion energy is the energy of our sun and the stars. It is the source of all other…