Energy and Environment
“I strongly believe in defending the environment and the public interest. I am opposed to efforts to weaken clean air and water protections, to leaving taxpayers with the burdens that should be borne by polluters, and to sacrificing our public lands for private corporate gain. I will continue to work to protect the environment, combat environmental injustice, promote investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency, and to safeguard the health of the American public.”
- Congresswoman Barbara Lee
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Congresswoman Lee is a strong defender of the environment and the public interest. As a member of the House Sustainable Energy and the Environment Coalition, Congresswoman Lee is committed to defending the environment from attempts to cut spending on environmental and health protections and to maintaining and strengthening current environmental protection standards to help arrest global warming and protect our nation’s clean air, water, and natural environment.
Congresswoman Lee does not believe in tax-payer funded giveaways to the oil and gas industry and subsidies for nuclear power or inefficient coal-to-liquids projects are the path to a secure and environmentally sound energy future for America. Instead, Congresswoman Lee is committed to investing in truly clean and renewable alternative energy sources that will create new jobs, reduce American dependence on oil and fossil fuels, and create a greener future by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
She is also committed to fighting for environmental justice. Environmental injustices can be seen in that environmental toxins and pollutants are often found concentrated in areas where residents are living on the economic and social margins. Asthma rates among the urban poor are reaching alarming rates and Oakland, for example, has one of the highest asthma rates in the country. Everyday actions to combat these and other environmental injustices by reducing pollution and cleaning up toxic waste can pay dividends, but only with the proper funding and a steady commitment from governments and individuals at the local, state, and federal levels.
Congresswoman Lee is a longtime proponent of taking immediate steps to curb greenhouse gas emissions and other emissions harmful to human health and the environment, and continues to strongly oppose the construction of TransCanada’s Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline. Congresswoman Lee wil continue to support policies that promote clean energy technology innovation and domestic manufacturing, develop renewable energy resources, and create green collar jobs.
Also, Congresswoman Lee believes that we must couple our efforts to protect the environment here at home with the broader global community. While we act locally we must indeed think globally. To that end, the United States must act as leader and advocate for positive change rather than an obstacle in addressing pollution, global warming, climate change, over-fishing, and other such environmental challenges.
As the representative of California’s 9th district, Congresswoman Lee is committed to:
· Strengthening the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act: Stewardship of the environment equals stewardship of our communities. I will continue to work to protect the quality of the air we breathe or the water we drink, and to ensure that any polluter damaging our environment is not let off the hook.
· Maintaining the Endangered Species Act and other environmental laws and protections: Science should never be sacrificed for politics. The Endangered Species Act is a critical safeguard for public participation and ensures the much-needed review and analysis of potentially environmentally damaging activities. Everyone, including the Department of Defense, should be held to all existing U.S. environmental laws.
As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I oppose any cuts to crucial programs that support wildlife and habitat conservation in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey.