Capito Commends Passage of Key Energy and Environment Legislation in Omnibus

Press Release

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee and chairman of the EPW Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, today applauded the passage of several key pieces of legislation that address environmental and infrastructure needs. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 omnibus government funding bill, which passed the Senate last night, included several EPW-related measures Senator Capito co-sponsored and supported, including:

Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA 2020).
The Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies (USE IT) Act to promote carbon capture technologies.
The reauthorization of the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program.
The American Manufacturing and Innovation (AIM) Act, which would implement a 15-year phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) at a national level for the first time, administered by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Clean Industrial Technology Act (CITA), legislation Senator Capito introduced in July 2019 to unleash innovation that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from industrial sources and make American companies more competitive in the global economy.
Rare Earth Element Advanced Coal Technologies (REEACT) Act, which would help identify and extract rare earth elements from coal ash and other byproducts.
ON WATER INFRASTRUCTURE: "Strengthening America's infrastructure has traditionally been a bipartisan priority because of the enormous benefits such projects can generate. The Water Resources Development Act makes important updates to our nation's water resources infrastructure and provides resources that will benefit the health and wellbeing of West Virginians and others in communities across the country. I'm glad to see this legislation included as part of the final bill to fund the federal government."

ON ENVIRONENTAL INNOVATION: "Mitigating both air pollution and climate change has been and remains a top priority of the EPW Committee. I'm glad to see this government funding agreement include several pieces of legislation I co-sponsored, including the Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies (USE IT) Act and Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA), that will help us accomplish this goal in a responsible way. This agreement to include these pieces of environmental legislation demonstrates that we are making significant progress to address this issue in a bipartisan, commonsense way. DERA will help West Virginia communities update ageing school and municipal buses for cleaner, modern vehicles, while the USE IT Act will facilitate carbon dioxide pipelines to provide the backbone infrastructure needed to grow CCUS and a carbon economy, reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Both pieces of legislation are major wins for air quality and climate, and I was proud to play a role in each."

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