Protecting our natural resources—the environment—is one of Congressman Moran's top priorities. Reflecting his commitment, Congressman Moran consistently receives high marks for his "green" voting record from national environmental organizations including the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters.
In March 2010, Moran was elected Chairman of the Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) among other key federal agencies and programs. As Chair, the Congressman worked with his colleagues to ensure that conservation was once again the primary mission of our public land management agencies, that EPA had the resources to protect the public and environment and that science, not economics, will guide future regulatory policies.
In the 112th Congress, Moran serves as Ranking Member on the Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee and remains committed to these goals. As Ranking Member, the Congressman has assumed the lead role in fighting against harmful anti-environmental legislation and draconian cuts to vital programs. Recently during funding debates in the House, Moran spearheaded efforts to oppose more than 20 anti-environmental and anti-conservation provisions and succeeded in removing all but two in the final 2011 budget deal.
A strong supporter of Chesapeake Bay restoration, the Congressman has worked with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on the Great American Outdoors initiative to create a new competitive grant program that will encourage more regional conservation initiatives.
Today, science has identified new threats to the environment and human health in the form of a new class of toxic chemicals and the build up of greenhouse gases. The Congressman supports a full range of legislative initiatives to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, the primary source of green house gas emissions, and develop cleaner, alternative sources of energy. Long before the Deepwater Horizon disaster, Moran led the opposition to opening up new areas to offshore oil and gas development off Virginia’s coast and elsewhere.
In the area of toxic chemicals, the Congressman has introduced legislation to understand the link between endocrine disrupting chemicals and a growing epidemic of human illnesses and diseases and empower the regulatory agencies with the power to regulate chemicals found harmful to humans. Moran fervently believes that this generation should strive to leave today’s children a safer and more secure future, including a cleaner environment.
At the local level, Congressman Moran worked for years to reduce harmful emissions and pushed for closure of the GenOn Potomac River Power Plant, an outdated coal-fired power plant located in Alexandria, repeatedly cited for violations of the Clean Air Act. Moran helped lead efforts to close the federal prison at Lorton, enacting legislation to set aside more than 2,100 acres for open green space and facilitated a land exchange protecting approximately 800 acres on ecologically sensitive Mason Neck.
An outdoor enthusiast, Congressman Moran has been a major supporter of biking, hiking and walking trails throughout Northern Virginia. One of the Congressman's top local priorities is the restoration of the Four Mile Run Project; having secured more than $9 million since the project began. Through his seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee, Moran has secured federal funds for a host of trail projects, including extending the George Washington Memorial Parkway along the Potomac River and the building of new trails linking together local communities in Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax County.