January 28, 2021

Congressman Casten Appointed to the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis on the Heels of Biden’s Historic Climate Actions

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) released the following statement after being reappointed to the U.S. House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis as President Biden took unprecedented executive actions to tackle the climate crisis and restore scientific integrity across the federal government.

Casten said, "I am honored to be reappointed to the U.S. House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, and I am thrilled to see the unprecedented climate action coming out of the Biden White House. Not only will Biden's executive actions unshackle the federal government to fight climate change by creating the Office of Domestic Climate Policy – a massively important step in ensuring the federal government's response to the climate crisis is coordinated and comprehensive, rebuilding our infrastructure, and centering the climate crisis in national security, but they also send a clear message that the Biden-Harris Administration will protect scientists from political interference."

"Having spent 20 years as a clean energy entrepreneur before coming to Congress, I see Biden's Executive actions as a crucial first step to unrig our energy markets and ensure climate action equates to economic opportunity by levering the purchasing power of federal government and leading by example. Replacing the Federal fleet with electric vehicles, for instance, will singlehandedly increase the total amount of electric vehicles ever sold in the U.S. by 45%.

"I was particularly excited to hear President Biden announce that he'll ask Congress to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies —policy I introduced last fall—after signing an Executive Order directing Federal agencies to scrap fossil fuel subsidies in favor of identifying opportunities to spur innovation, commercialization, and deployment of clean energy technologies and infrastructure."

During his first term, Casten worked with his colleagues on the Select Committee on the Climate crisis along with scientists and industry experts to create Congress' first comprehensive Climate Crisis Action Plan—a blueprint that included eight of Casten's bills to dramatically lower emissions, create jobs, and revitalize our infrastructure. Now, Casten looks forward to working with the Biden team to deliver and build on that plan, equipped with additional authorities to hold power to account as we take bold action to combat the climate crisis, restore scientific integrity, and lead the transition to a clean energy economy.

On Wednesday, the White House outlined a proactive climate agenda to move the country forward, with President Biden poised to sign a number of executive orders. The President has embraced a whole-of-government approach to fight the climate crisis, including:

Federal Leadership

  • Launching the National Climate Task Force with participation across federal departments and agencies to pursue governmentwide actions for confronting the climate crisis, including planning for each federal agency to increase the resilience of facilities and operations to climate impacts
  • Establishing the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy as the central office for implementing the President's domestic climate agenda

Environmental Justice and Just Transition

  • Issuing an Executive Order establishing a White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council, as well as new and strengthened offices at EPA, DOJ, and HHS
  • Establishing a Justice40 Initiative with the goal of delivering 40 percent of the benefits of federal investments to disadvantaged communities as identified by a new Climate and Environmental Justice Screening tool
  • Directing federal agencies to make environmental justice and climate change part of their mission, by developing policies and programs to address disproportionate impacts on disadvantaged communities
  • Forming an Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization to advance projects reclaiming former mining sites, plugging oil and gas wells, and turning brownfields into new hubs for growth

Using Federal Buying Power to Advance Climate Goals

  • Directing federal agencies to procure carbon-free electricity to help achieve a carbon-free electricity sector by 2035
  • Directing federal agencies to procure zero-emission vehicles made in America, creating 1 million jobs
  • Directing federal agencies to apply Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements, encourage Project Labor Agreements, and apply Buy American requirements

Foreign Policy and National Security

  • Establishing the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate to lead international engagement
  • Hosting a Leaders' Climate Summit on Earth Day, April 22, 2021 to raise ambition before the next U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26)
  • Reconvening the Major Economies Forum to elevate climate change within foreign policy
  • Kicking off the process to update the U.S. Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement, including a climate finance plan
  • Directing the Director of National Intelligence to prepare a National Intelligence Estimate on the security implications of climate change, including growing threats from floods, droughts, and other extreme weather events
  • Directing the State Department to prepare a package to send to the Senate on the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol
  • Issuing an Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad emphasizing the climate threats to national security

Infrastructure

  • Issuing an Executive Order to ensure infrastructure investments reduce greenhouse gas emissions and in an environmentally sustainable manner accelerate clean energy deployment and build out transmission infrastructure

Aligning Energy Development With Climate Goals

  • Requesting a plan to double offshore wind production by 2030
  • Improving review of renewable energy projects on federal lands
  • Issuing a pause on new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters
  • Directing a rigorous review of existing fossil energy leases and permits
  • Directing agencies to explore opportunities to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies

Agriculture, Forestry, and Conservation

  • Committing to a goal of conserving 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030, working with state and local governments and farmers, fishermen, and foresters
  • Launching a new Civilian Climate Corps to build employment and skills-building opportunities through projects to conserve and restore public lands and waters, increase reforestation and carbon storage through agriculture, and support local resilience against floods, wildfires, and extreme heat
  • Directing USDA to collect input from farmers and ranchers on how to encourage broader use of climate-smart agricultural practices to create new jobs and income streams for rural Americans

Climate Science and Scientific Integrity

  • Expanding the country's climate forecasting capabilities to help governments, communities, and businesses prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change
  • Issuing a Presidential Memorandum to ensure federal decision-making is grounded in the best available science and data and to protect scientists from political interference
  • Designating Chief Science Officers and Scientific Integrity Officials across federal agencies to ensure research programs are guided by science, facts, and evidence and to implement scientific integrity policies
  • Re-establishing the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology to advise the President on policy that affects science, technology, and innovation as well as on the information needed to support policymaking for energy, environment, equity, and other topics

These actions build on announcements made on Tuesday, when President Biden:

  • Issued a Presidential Memorandum on Tribal Consultation and Strengthening Nation-To-Nation Relationships, affirming the administration's commitment to honoring Tribal sovereignty and including Tribal voices in policy development, and directing agencies to detail plans for ensuring meaningful Tribal consultation
  • Issued a Presidential Memorandum on Redressing Our Nation's and the Federal Government's History of Discriminatory Housing Practices and Policies, affirming the administration's policy to end housing discrimination and racial bias and directing HUD to take necessary steps to address discriminatory federal housing policies.

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