Press Releases

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) released the following statement after the Trump Administration released its proposal to gut the Clean Power Plan:

“President Trump and Acting EPA head Andrew Wheeler teamed up with their friends in the fossil fuel industry to release a plan that would open the floodgates to more carbon pollution across the country. The Administration’s proposal is a betrayal of the public trust that fails to uphold the EPA’s legal obligation under the Clean Air Act to protect Americans from pollution. The EPA’s own estimates released with this plan say it will lead to the premature deaths of thousands, an outcome which no government official should be willing to accept.

“Every day the Trump Administration is making it more difficult for us to act on climate change. During a time when wildfires are burning hotter, droughts are lasting longer, and floods are destroying coasts, we need ambitious environmental policies to safeguard public health and safety. This Dirty Power proposal is the opposite of what this country needs to keep Americans safe and fend off a dire threat to the planet.”

Representative Beyer is the Vice Ranking Member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and co-Chair of the Congressional Safe Climate Caucus. He is also a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Joint Economic Committee. He previously served two terms as Virginia's Lieutenant Governor, and served as President Obama’s Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein from 2009 to 2013.