Casten Implores Dems to Fight Hard for Climate Provisions As Reconciliation Negotiations Continue Amid Crisis in Gulf Coast
US. Congressman Sean Casten (D-IL-06) released the following statement on the devastation caused by Hurricane Ida and Congress' obligation to included investment in scientifically necessary climate action in any infrastructure bill to prevent future catastrophes:
Rep. Casten said, "Like COVID, the climate crisis is a threat multiplier that we're all experiencing in real time. The sooner we take action, the more lives, businesses, and homes we can save. But the longer we wait, the more it will cost us. If the IPCC Report didn't already make it crystal clear, the devastating situation across the gulf coast on top of the record setting heatwaves and raging wildfires out west should: extreme weather of this magnitude and frequency is not normal—they're caused by the climate crisis and it's only going to get worse. Americans cannot afford a day more of inaction.
"Right now in Congress, we have not only a responsibility to make crucial investments in climate resilient infrastructure to protect vulnerable communities, but an opportunity to put pen to paper drafting the bold, transformative policies the science demands to turn this ship around before it's too late," Casten continued. "Now is the time for all of us who claim we're serious about climate change to show up and fight for it. Now is the time for the Democratic party to prove that we're up to the greatest challenge of our lifetimes. The right time to do this was decades ago, but our last chance is now."