Environmental conservation used to be a bipartisan issue — from the days of Teddy Roosevelt’s Antiquities Act right through Richard Nixon creating the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and signing into law the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. But for the past 20 years, Republicans in Congress have unleashed an assault on our environment and attacked the scientific consensus behind climate change.

From my first day in Congress, I have been a champion for our environment, co-chairing the New Democrat Coalition’s Climate Change Task Force and working to pass climate protections.

Here is what we need to do for our environment:

●  Combat climate change. Climate change is the existential threat of our time and it must be treated with the urgency it demands. I, along with my colleagues, passed the Climate Action Now Act, which was the first congressional vote in over ten years to address the threats to our climate. This landmark legislation would bring America back in line with the Paris Accord, which aims to reduce worldwide carbon emissions, and it would require the President to detail to Congress his plans to meet emissions reductions.

●  Protect our natural resources. Climate change and the influence of Big Oil are decimating our remaining natural wonders and seashores. I was proud to vote to protect our national resources and lands from offshore drilling, and I will vote against further attempts to ruin our national parks, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and offshore areas.

●  Drive a climate-forward economy. The future of American energy is in innovative and climate-forward technologies. If smart tax policies incentivize companies to bring low-carbon projects to places like the 7th District, with it will come high-paying, quality jobs that can put us at the forefront of an emerging global energy market.

●  Prioritize public health. No one should have to worry about whether their water is safe to drink. That’s why I have used my position in Congress to address the urgent threat of PFAS chemicals in water systems and ground soils, as well as limit their introduction into new commerce.