The Climate Crisis | The Office of Majority Leader Steny Hoyer

The Climate Crisis

Democrats strongly believe in our responsibility to address the climate crisis head-on and to serve as stewards of our environment and public lands for current and future generations.

Democrats strongly believe in our responsibility to address the climate crisis head-on and to serve as stewards of our environment and public lands for current and future generations. Democrats are working with President Biden to restore protections for our environment and natural resources, promote cleaner air and water, and ensure America is a leader in confronting the climate crisis.

During the 117th Congress, House Democrats delivered a historic slate of legislation to address the climate crisis. These include the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law enacted in November 2021, a generational infrastructure package that is estimated to create nearly 1.5 million jobs annually throughout the next decade, turbocharge our clean energy economy, and take action on environmental justice and legacy pollution initiatives. The landmark Inflation Reduction Act is America’s single-largest investment in combatting the climate crisis and puts the U.S. on a path to roughly 40% emissions reduction by 2030. It includes historic investments in the clean energy economy that will lower energy costs, increase our energy security, and substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This legislation also promotes alternative energy and electric vehicle production. The CHIPS and Science Act, signed into law by President Biden in August 2022, invests in science and technology of the future, bolstering efforts to manufacture clean energy technology in the United States and providing access to training programs that will help to develop the STEM workforce of tomorrow.

House Democrats also passed a number of bills that act to protect and conserve our planet, including the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, the Water Resources Development Act, and the Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act. In addition, House Democrats overturned a dangerous methane emissions rule put into place by the Trump Administration.

We will continue to partner with the Biden Administration to combat catastrophic climate change and protect our natural resources for future generations.

The Climate Crisis Related

Speech

Hoyer Remarks at Press Conference Ahead of the Democratic Issues Conference

Now, the 117th Congress is facing one of the most daunting scenarios that we've seen. We faced daunting scenarios the last time we were in the Majority in 2009, 2007, but 2008, we had the Great Recession and we needed to respond.

3/2/21

Hoyer Statement on the Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act

Today, the House passed the Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act, major legislation to conserve some of our country's most precious natural landscapes.

2/26/21

Hoyer Statement on President Biden's Executive Orders on the Climate Crisis

Today, President Biden is putting his pledge to address the climate crisis into action in his first days in office. The executive orders and memorandum he is signing will ensure that departments and agencies across the federal government will prioritize climate change in their work and that we take a whole-of-government approach to tackling this global challenge while making it a centerpiece of our foreign policy.

1/27/21

Hoyer Statement on President-Elect Joe Biden Nominating Rep. Deb Haaland to serve as Secretary of the Interior

Since coming to Congress, Deb Haaland has not only been a close friend but an outstanding advocate for her constituents, for Native American nations, for land and water conservation, and for the preservation of America's heritage.

12/17/20

Hoyer Statement on President-Elect Joe Biden Nominating Jennifer Granholm to Serve as Secretary of Energy

Former Gov. Jennifer Granholm is an excellent choice to be our next Secretary of Energy. Her experience leading Michigan through the near-collapse of the auto industry and its recovery with ambitious fuel-efficiency standards - helping consumers,

12/17/20

Hoyer Statement on the 5th Anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement

Five years ago, nearly every nation in the world pledged to set ambitious goals toward reducing carbon pollution and addressing the global climate crisis.

12/11/20

Hoyer Statement Announcing Floor Vote on the Lumbee Recognition Act

The Lumbee Nation deserves full federal recognition, and I have indicated to Rep. Butterfield that this remains a priority for the House.

10/23/20

Op-Ed

Hoyer Op-ed: Democrats will restore America

With two weeks left before Election Day and millions of Americans already casting their ballots, President Donald Trump still has not indicated what his policy agenda would be for a second term.

10/21/20

Speech

Hoyer Floor Remarks on the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act

Madam Speaker, the global climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges of our time. We must confront climate change, and an essential part of that is investing in clean energy innovation. This alone is certainly not going be enough to address the climate crisis we face. But it is a critical step forward that we can and must take right now.

9/23/20

Hoyer Statement on the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act

I look forward to bringing the Clean Energy Jobs and Innovation Act to the Floor next week, which fulfills House Democrats’ promise to invest in the creation of high-paying jobs by making America a global leader in clean energy. Our climate is changing, and we not only need to take dramatic steps to slow the carbon pollution that has driven this climate crisis but we must also seize the economic opportunities that this challenge presents.

9/15/20

Hoyer Statement on House Passage of the Water Resources Development Act Reauthorization

I am pleased that the House was able to come together in a bipartisan vote to reauthorize the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) in a way that invests in upgrading and protecting America’s vital waterways and water infrastructure. I’ve been proud to lead the Make It In America agenda for jobs and opportunities, and strengthening infrastructure, as this bill does, is a key component of that plan. American businesses and workers depend on safe and efficient ports, harbors, and navigable rivers to transport goods to market and access raw materials. Communities also depend on water infrastructure to protect against flooding and ensure that the water they use for drinking and agriculture is clean and safe.

7/30/20

Speech

Hoyer Floor Remarks on the Great American Outdoors Act

Madam Speaker, I want to thank Chairman [Raul] Grijalva of the Natural Resources Committee for steering the legislation before us through his Committee and working with the Senate to get it passed through that body. I would also especially like to thank Reps. [Joe] Cunningham, [Mikie] Sherrill, [T.J.] Cox, [Xochitl] Torres Small, [Kendra] Horn, and [Jared] Golden for leading this legislation in the House, along with my good friend, Mike Simpson.

7/22/20

Hoyer Statement on Trump Administration Weakening Environmental Protections

President Trump either fundamentally misunderstands our national infrastructure challenge or is cynically using it to justify his continued assault on clean air and clean water protections. Delays to major infrastructure investments are overwhelmingly caused by a lack of funding, not by rules designed to ensure that construction projects do not harm the health and environment of the communities they serve - particularly minority and lower-income communities that are most vulnerable to the effects of pollution and climate change.

7/15/20

Hoyer Statement on the Climate Crisis Action Plan

I applaud the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and Chairwoman Castor for releasing their Climate Crisis Action Plan today, which calls for 100% clean, net-zero emissions across our economy by 2050. This roadmap will help guide our nation in the years ahead as we seek to reclaim the mantle of leadership in addressing the challenge of the global climate crisis and seize the economic opportunities that come with meeting that challenge.

6/30/20

Hoyer Announces House Vote on the Great American Outdoors Act

The House will consider the Great American Outdoors Act under a rule on the Floor during the work period at the end of July. This bipartisan bill, which passed the Senate by a vote of 73-25, will permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and address the maintenance backlog at our national parks.

6/22/20

Hoyer Statement on the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day

Fifty years ago, we celebrated the first Earth Day, hopeful that Americans could lead the way in stopping the dangerous pollution dirtying our air and water and wildlife habitats.

4/22/20

The Trump Budget is a Continuation of Broken Promises to Working Families

Yesterday, the President released his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2021 and made his priorities clear: he continues to put the wealthiest Americans first at the expense of working families. The budget proposal makes tax cuts for the wealthy permanent while breaking his promises to working families on health care, the economy, and other areas that help Americans get ahead and keep them safe.

2/11/20

Hoyer Statement on the Administration's Formal Withdrawal From the Paris Climate Accord

By officially withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, President Trump is placing Americans’ health, our environment, and our nation’s economic competitiveness at risk.

11/4/19

Democrats Act on the Climate Crisis, Fight Back Against President Trump’s Efforts to Roll Back Public Health and Environmental Protections

Acting on the climate crisis continues to be a top priority for the American people. According to a recent Washington Post and Kaiser Family Foundation poll, the majority of Americans believe we must act on the climate crisis now and that the Trump Administration is not doing enough:

9/18/19

Statement

Hoyer Floor Remarks on H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act

Climate change is perhaps one of the greatest threats we face as a nation and as a planet, those who deny it do so at great peril to the health, security, and economic prosperity of our country.

5/1/19

Hoyer Remarks on Press Call with House Democrats, Advocates on H.R. 9

Thank you very, very much. I appreciate this opportunity to participate with you.

5/1/19

Hoyer Statement on Earth Day

As we celebrate our planet today, we must recommit ourselves to taking the necessary steps to protect it and its extraordinary diversity of life.

4/22/19

Hoyer Statement on House Democrats' Introduction of H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act

Today, House Democrats are introducing H.R. 9, legislation to prohibit the Trump Administration from withdrawing from the global climate agreement and embrace the goals set out previously by the United States to promote a cleaner environment, technological innovation, and twenty-first century economic leadership.

3/27/19

Hoyer Statement on House Passage of the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act

I am pleased that the House and Senate have now approved bipartisan legislation to safeguard America’s public lands. This is an example of what Democrats and Republicans can do when we work together in good faith.

2/26/19