Green New Deal for Public Schools

Floor Speech

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Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Bowman for yielding, and I fully appreciate an opportunity to be in partnership with a fellow teacher for the cause of climate change.

Climate change is infrastructure. Our buildings, roads, and transportation are directly impacted by the impending climate crisis.

In this 1 year, we have seen our oceans on fire; a pipeline broke in the Gulf of Mexico; our bridges are crumbling; our buildings are collapsing; wildfires and heat waves have been paired with rolling blackouts in my district.

Unfortunately, my constituents and I have experienced this for decades without much progress, but we cannot continue to accept this as a reality, a continuing reality.

In addition to losing power in my district, some of the worst air quality in the country exists in my district. Despite California leading the Nation in investing in renewable energy, we still are not doing enough.

As co-chair of the Congressional Energy Storage Caucus, I know how critical it is for us to invest in renewable microgrids that are powered by solar and wind energy and backed by battery energy storage. Congress must provide municipalities, businesses, and residents with the ability to purchase and build their own energy grids that are resilient to our frequent natural disasters.

We have the technology to catch up to the modern industrial world. We cannot afford not to use this technology. We must invest.

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