Press Releases

Reps. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) and Don Beyer (D-VA), co-chairs of the Congressional Safe Climate Caucus, today wrote to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer to formally request the continuation of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis in the 117^th Congress, which begins next month. The Select Committee was initially authorized by House Resolution 6 on January 9, 2019, charged with studying the climate crisis and crafting an action plan for a clean energy economy which it ultimately released earlier this year. The Committee must be reauthorized to continue in subsequent sessions of Congress, and as Reps. Lowenthal and Beyer point out, the climate crisis will continue to be an existential threat and a major challenge for policymakers going forward.

They wrote:

“The climate crisis not only continues but worsens with each passing day without robust federal action. The Select Committee is well positioned to analyze the holistic work needed and provide resource support to the Congressional response.
…
“The temporary nature of a select committee is contingent on completion of its designated duties, and it is becoming increasingly clear that this fight will not be over soon. We are excited to have the President-elect focused on climate across all sectors of his administration. It is imperative that we have an organizing tool that can do the same. The situation is dire, and no time can be wasted. The continued existence of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis will be to continue to develop and cultivate the policy recommendations that address and avert a lethal threat to our ecosystem and existence.

“In this light, we ask that you renew the House Select Committee on The Climate Crisis in the 117th Congress.”

Text of the letter follows below and a signed copy is available here.

***

Dear Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer:

As Co-Chairs of the Safe Climate Caucus, we respectfully request the continuation of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis in the 117th Congress.

The climate crisis not only continues but worsens with each passing day without robust federal action. The Select Committee is well positioned to analyze the holistic work needed and provide resource support to the Congressional response. In the 116th, the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis has done tremendous work to outline cohesive needs and legislation addressing the climate crisis. The first report published by the committee, “The Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy, Resilient, and Just America,” is an extensive and thorough action plan for Congress to reverse the effects of climate change, create millions of jobs and eventually achieve net-negative emissions.

The temporary nature of a select committee is contingent on completion of its designated duties, and it is becoming increasingly clear that this fight will not be over soon. We are excited to have the President-elect focused on climate across all sectors of his administration. It is imperative that we have an organizing tool that can do the same. The situation is dire, and no time can be wasted. The continued existence of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis will be to continue to develop and cultivate the policy recommendations that address and avert a lethal threat to our ecosystem and existence.

In this light, we ask that you renew the House Select Committee on The Climate Crisis in the 117th Congress.

Sincerely,