Expanding Access to Sustainable Energy Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Pallone for yielding me the time.

We are in the grips of a climate crisis, a climate emergency, and time is running out. Time is running out to avoid the worst consequences of a heating planet. Time is running out to avoid the escalating costs that are weighing down families and businesses across America.

So this Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act is an important step. It brings us a little bit closer to the major ambitious steps that we must take towards a 100 percent clean energy economy.

Here are a few things that are important about this package. It follows the science. The scientists and experts tell us that we truly are running out of time to reduce carbon emissions and greenhouse gases. We must do it as soon as possible, but no later than 2050. That means we have to get going right away.

This package also puts money back in the pockets of consumers and businesses and it will create thousands of jobs. These are the jobs that the younger generation are hungry for, in manufacturing and science, and building resilience among communities all across this country.

This bill also empowers environmental justice communities to address pollution and to protect their health. Very importantly, on a bipartisan basis, bicameral basis, we have to address hydrofluorocarbons. A hydrofluorocarbon is a very damaging greenhouse gas, much more damaging than carbon dioxide.

We have an opportunity in this Congress to address those hydrofluorocarbons and bring them under control. If we don't do this now, it is going to be much more difficult to do it in the future.

So I thank Chairman Pallone, Chairwoman Johnson, and I thank my colleagues for doing what they can.

Next up are the ambitious policies to truly solve the climate crisis.

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