Have a Climate Policy Idea? Now’s Your Time to Submit It to Congress.

The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis set an ambitious plan this fall to hold one hearing per week through the end of 2019. This effort provides Committee members an opportunity to engage with materials ranging from business views on the cost of climate change to manufacturing jobs in the clean energy industry. Testimony from the hearings will feed into the Select Committee’s report, which is expected to be released in March 2020. According to the Committee’s mandate, the report will include policy recommendations to be taken up by the House’s standing committees.

The Select Committee has invited public input for its report through a Request for Information issued earlier this month. Chairwoman Kathy Castor (D-FL) emphasized, “We want ideas from across the world. Then, we want to turn those plans into legislation.” Responses are requested by November 22, 2019. The Select Committee is looking for guidance on the following issue areas:

• Decarbonization by sector (i.e., transportation, electric power, industry, and buildings)
• Environmental justice
• Carbon pricing
• Investment in innovation for climate solutions
• Agriculture
• Public lands
• Short-lived climate pollutants
• Carbon removal technologies
• Climate adaptation and resilience
• Climate observation and monitoring
• International engagement on climate change

This list indicates that the Select Committee has taken a comprehensive approach to information gathering, which will hopefully yield a strong suite of climate policy recommendations.

EESI has been following the Select Committee closely. You can read our work on various Committee hearings, including the most recent article, “Workforce Development and Emissions Reduction Explored in House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Hearing,” on our website and in our newsletter, Climate Change Solutions.

 

Author: Anna McGinn