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WASHINGTON, DC – Today, work by Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI) was front and center as the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis unveiled a comprehensive congressional climate action framework. Dingell had five bills included in the committee’s recommendations and seen as important tools in the effort to solve the climate crisis. 

Dingell’s USA Electrify Forward Act, Vehicle Innovation Act, Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator, Climate Change Education Act, and Recovering America’s Wildlife Act were included in the Select Committee’s framework, as well as the Coal Cleanup Taxpayer Protection Act and efforts increase funding for LIHEAP to address water utility costs which were co-led by Dingell. Dingell also leads strong legislation to rapidly transition to 100 percent clean energy economy by 2050, a key overarching goal of the Select Committee’s recommendations. 

“The time is now to set an aggressive agenda to address the climate crisis on all fronts,” said Dingell. “The Select Committee on the Climate Crisis put together a strong framework that address the crisis in a comprehensive plan to make ambitious – but achievable – progress. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was clear: we must rapidly transition to a clean, net-zero emissions economy by 2050. We know the goals, we have the framework, now we must use American ingenuity and leadership to transition to a clean energy economy that will create jobs, protect the environment, and work for communities in Michigan and across the country.”

The Select Committee's climate action framework outlines ambitious and achievable policies to:

• Grow our economy and put Americans back to work in clean energy jobs
• Protect the health of all families 
• Make sure our communities and farmers can withstand the impacts of climate change
• Protect America's land and water for the next generation

The report specifically recommends timely action on a number of issues, pointing specifically to five Dingell Bills as possible tools for Congress to act on it:

• 100% Clean Economy Act (co-led by Dingell): sets a nationwide goal of achieving a 100 percent clean energy economy by 2050, defined as net-zero climate pollution across all sectors of the United States’ economy.
• USA Electrify Forward Act: comprehensive legislation to support and advance the development, production, and distribution of electric vehicles and EV charging infrastructure across the United States.
• Vehicle Innovation Act: bipartisan legislation to promote investments in research and development of clean vehicle and advanced safety technologies to increase fuel efficiency and reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil.
• Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator: legislation establishing a Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator (formerly known as the National Climate Bank) to bolster and expand a robust clean energy workforce, deploy emissions reduction technologies, and invest in low-carbon infrastructure projects as an independent non-profit capitalized with $35 billion of federal funds spread over a six-year period. 
• Climate Change Education Act: legislation to promote education programs focused on climate to improve the public’s understanding of climate change.
• Recovering America’s Wildlife Act: bipartisan legislation to help promote and enhance our nation’s conservation efforts and ensure the long-term health of fish and wildlife throughout the country.
• Coal Cleanup Taxpayer Protection Act (co-led by Dingell): legislation that will protect American taxpayers by prohibiting the dangerous practice of “self-bonding” in the coal sector and ensure coal companies restore mine lands across the country to their original state after completing their mining operations.
• Increased Funding for Water Utility Assistance: the report calls for increased funding to LIHEAP programs to assist eligible households with energy and utility costs. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Dingell has led efforts in Congress to prohibit water shutoffs and expand utility assistance to ensure households have access to water during the public health crisis. 

The Select Committee's plan would put the country on a path to net-zero carbon pollution by 2050, if not earlier. It would power economic recovery through clean energy investment and family-sustaining jobs, and address the legacy of environmental injustice harming America's low-income communities and communities of color.

"House Democrats recognize that we have the moral imperative to meet this moment with a bold climate action plan to reduce carbon pollution, create much-needed jobs to rebuild our economy, and tackle the systemic injustice of environmental racism head-on," said Rep. Kathy Castor, Chair of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.

The full Select Committee report is viewable here. 

Dingell – a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee – is a leader in Congress on climate change and environmental conservation. In addition to her work included in the Select Committee’s framework, she leads efforts to protect clean water, clean air, and many conservation programs and laws. Dingell represented the US Congressional Delegation at the 2019 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Madrid, Spain.

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