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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E893-E894]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPANDING ACCESS TO SUSTAINABLE ENERGY ACT OF 2019
______
speech of
HON. BARBARA LEE
of california
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4447,
the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act.
As we know from the devastating wildfires in my state, the reality of
the climate crisis is here. The planet we are leaving to our children
is different from the one we were born on, and we have to reverse
course now before it is too late.
I want to thank my colleagues who offered amendments to make this an
even stronger green bill. In particular, I thank my friend
Representative Barragan for offering an amendment I co-sponsored to
invest in helping seaports to make their operations more efficient and
less polluting. And I thank the environmental groups who gave critical
input on this legislation and on the urgent need for our country and
for the world to close the chapter on the era of fossil fuels.
During this year's unprecedented wildfires, smoke has been at
unhealthy and even hazardous levels for weeks on end in my district.
Wildfire smoke is especially damaging to vulnerable populations, for
example unsheltered people. H.R. 4447 includes the Smoke Planning and
Research Act to help state and local governments protect their
communities from wildfire smoke. I believe we have a critical need for
this legislation to respond to a serious threat to public health--for
example by creating shelters for at-risk populations or retrofitting
schools with air filters so students can safely attend school.
[[Page E894]]
H.R. 4447 also includes the Climate Smart Ports Act, which will help
us address health disparities and other issues in communities near
ports, which have often suffered from generations of environmental
injustice. The legislation includes a $1 billion per year zero
emissions ports infrastructure program to assist ports and port users
with replacing cargo handling equipment, port harbor craft, drayage
trucks, and other equipment with zero emissions equipment and
technology. In West Oakland, the neighborhood bordering the Port of
Oakland, the asthma hospitalization rate for children under the age of
5 is almost twice the rate for Alameda County as a whole. We must take
action to reduce the massive amounts of fossil fuels burned by ports--
both to address the climate crisis and to help our kids breathe.
I have heard the concerns expressed about some key provisions of this
bill, and those concerns are valid. I do not support funding for
projects that could result in further use of dirty or dangerous energy
sources. I hope that we can work to improve this bill as it moves
through the legislative process.
Nonetheless, much of the content of this bill would make necessary
steps toward the clean energy revolution that we are all working for.
It encourages the innovation that we need to address the fossil fuel-
driven climate emergency while investing in renewable energy resources,
electrification of transportation, reduction of carbon pollution from
industrial and other sources, modernization of the grid and much more.
For these reasons, I support H.R. 4447 as a significant step away
from fossil fuels and towards innovation and cleaner energy.
____________________
