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[Page H2680]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 0945
CLEAN ENERGY
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
California (Mr. Levin) for 5 minutes.
Mr. LEVIN of California. Mr. Speaker, as a freshman Member of
Congress, it has been an honor and a privilege to get to serve on the
Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, and I am so grateful for that
opportunity. I commend Speaker Pelosi and Chair Castor for their
outstanding leadership.
Long before I pursued public office, I was a proud clean energy
advocate, and I knew then, as I know now, that solutions to the climate
crisis could also be solutions to many economic challenges we face.
We have seen that come true in my home State of California where we
have embraced ambitious measures to combat climate change and have seen
strong economic growth, particularly in the clean energy sector.
Last year, California supported more than half a million clean energy
jobs in areas such as energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean
vehicles. Through 2019 job growth was nearly 10 percent annually.
Clean energy technology, clean domestic manufacturing, and
environmental restoration is already putting Americans to work.
Our report highlights a number of ways that we can combat the climate
crisis and create more jobs at the same time. For example, the report
includes bipartisan legislation I introduced to reduce our dependence
on fossil fuels by promoting environmentally responsible development of
renewable energy on public lands.
We can expand those technologies and grow our economy by extending
important tax credits like the solar investment tax credit which drives
job creation, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and helps level the
playing field for clean energy. We will also create jobs with strong
Federal funding for infrastructure, investments in new and retooled
domestic manufacturing facilities, new buy clean procurement rules,
expanded loan opportunities for decarbonization technologies, and the
creation of a civilian conservation corps and a climate resilience
service corps.
Alternatively, if we fail to act, we will allow other countries to
take the lead on developing clean technologies. China, India, and
nations in Europe will reap the economic rewards, and we will find
ourselves purchasing foreign products that should have been made right
here in America.
Some might take issue with the perceived cost of climate action, but
it is also important to note the cost of inaction. My friend, Marshall
Burke, a researcher at Stanford University, has studied this
extensively and found that if we don't take substantial action to
mitigate the climate crisis, it will cost the U.S. economy $25 to $35
trillion over the coming decades.
That is why we must act. I have a 6-year-old and an 8-year-old at
home, and, like any parent, there is a lot that I worry about for their
future; but I am most concerned about the planet that we are going to
leave behind for them and for their children. The path we are on right
now leads to a grim future for our planet. Our report charts a new
hopeful course for the future.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues and the outstanding staff who made
this report possible. Now let's get to work.
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