Ranking Member Stansbury, House Democrats Discuss Climate Justice with Expert Panelists at Roundtable
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) hosted a roundtable discussion with nationally-recognized changemakers titled, “Climate Justice: Community Perspectives and Where We Go from Here.” Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) also joined the roundtable.
WATCH the recorded livestream of the roundtable.
“Let me be clear: the climate crisis is happening now — not in five years or ten years — and it is critical that we have plans in place to build a more just, equitable, and sustainable future for our communities,” said Rep. Melanie Stansbury. “My home state is ground zero for climate change and our communities are on the frontlines. This roundtable is part of our ongoing work to listen directly to our communities to find solutions that work, and build a climate resilient future for our communities and the planet.”
“I appreciate Ranking Member Stansbury for hosting this important event with some of the nation’s leading tribal, labor, and environmental justice advocates,” said Rep. Castor. “Climate justice must be central to the nation’s efforts to transition to clean energy and adapt to the increasingly severe impacts of our warming planet. For too long, our nation’s most vulnerable populations have been exposed to the worst consequences of the fossil fuel economy — now, we must chart a path forward that ensures the health, resilience, and economic success of historically-disadvantaged communities.”
“Climate justice must be a central piece of our clean energy transition,” said Rep. Dingell. “Last Congress, we passed the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which included the greatest investments in climate and environmental justice in history. We must continue to build on these successes by making it easier for states and local governments to access federal funds and ensuring these investments are getting to the places that need them most. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in Congress to advance a just transition in reaching our climate goals.”
Additional Background
Climate change is disproportionately impacting low-income communities, communities of color, and Indigenous peoples. Through historic investments in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), as well as the Justice 40 initiative, the Biden-Harris administration is working to ensure climate and environmental justice for these overburdened communities by deploying clean energy technologies, creating new jobs, and increasing tribal consultation, among other efforts.
The roundtable’s expert panelists discussed ongoing IRA and IIJA implementation and offered additional recommendations for equitable and accessible solutions to address the growing climate crisis.
Panelist Quotes & Statements
"From coastal fishermen to waiters in the city of New Orleans, Louisianans and people all over the world are being crushed by the weight of climate change,” said Jessica Dandridge, Executive Director of The Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans. “While the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law unlocked unprecedented federal funding for fighting flood mitigation, forever chemicals, and drought, we must also stop bad actors and industries at the source if we want to live up to the ideals of the Justice40 Initiative and protect our nation's most vulnerable communities. Divesting from fossil fuels is the only sustainable solution for environmental injustice."
READ Jessica Dandridge’s full written statement here.
"State and federal policymakers must make early investments with braided funding in renewable energy and infrastructure projects AND robust education and training programs,” said Marcela Díaz, Founding Executive Director of Somos Un Pueblo Unido. “This will prepare frontline workers for a transition away from oil and gas and give them a fair shot at new jobs in emerging industries resulting from IRA and BIL economic investments. Policy solutions must not leave behind immigrant workers, undocumented workers, women, rural youth, and adjacent industry workers. Not only would that be unjust, but it would also result in a less robust and diversified economy that our whole state deserves.”
READ Marcela Díaz’s full written statement here.
"In a nutshell, historic investments in clean energy projects and climate crisis mitigation, combined with robust workforce development pipelines, that lead to good jobs with quality drivers like higher wages, health care, and retirement security ensure American competitiveness in markets already realized in other nations,” said John Doherty, Senior Advisor on Infrastructure, Workforce, Climate, and Equity for the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) and Steering Committee Member of the BlueGreen Alliance. “We, Labor Unions, are very excited to help build the next wave of highly skilled workers, who contribute to the U.S. economy and make the nation fairer, both economically and socially."
READ John Doherty’s full written statement here.
“We have the opportunity to build out a just clean energy future shoulder to shoulder with impacted communities,” said Chris Espinosa, Legislative Director for the Climate and Energy Program at Earthjustice. “Now is the time to build on the bold actions of the Biden-Harris administration and the historic investments of the Inflation Reduction Act with new policies that will advance environmental justice for communities that have long experienced the disproportionate impacts of climate change and pollution. To make that future a reality, Congress must pass the Environmental Justice for All Act to ensure that environmental justice isn’t just a buzzword, but the foundation of our climate policy.”
READ Chris Espinosa’s full written statement here.
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