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| I asked what she had been doing on climate and if there was a “plan” for action. This is her reply. Probably the reply she gives everyone. Did anyone else get the same reply ? Her bill promoting the auction to extract fossil fuels while reducing volume over time while providing a payment to citizens sounds good, but has no chance of passing at this time. But it is better than her streamline fossil fuel permitting and expedite fracking bill that was co-sponsored with Murkowski about 7 years ago. She does say climate science based timelines for action is a consideration in her bill. I probably need to read the entire bill, but hate to spend the time on it when it has little chance of adoption. I am disheartened that the approach is always full speed ahead with the economy when modeling has indicated consumption must change. I am more of a “tax the rich, feed the poor, until there are no rich no more” (Ten years After) guy. Our culture is a huge block to doing what is needed. I do not see much to be optimistic about from her sponsored Bills, but I am just a constituent.
Dear Kevin, Thank you for contacting me regarding climate change. I appreciate hearing from you about this matter and share your sense of urgency about the need to tackle the climate crisis. Our nation’s leading scientists and government agencies have determined that the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is causing the Earth’s climate to warm, which will lead to more frequent and intense droughts, floods, wildfires and other N weather events. In Washington state, carbon pollution is already altering the region’s natural systems, causing longer and more intense wildland fires, harming wildlife and salmon habitat, and making our oceans more acidic and less hospitable to marine animals. Doing nothing will cost trillions and risk leaving future generations with an uninhabitable planet. I believe that putting a price on carbon pollution is the most effective and economical way to reduce our nation’s dangerous over-dependence on fossil fuels, as long as low- and middle-income families and trade dependent industries are protected from any associated energy price increases. That’s why I authored the bipartisan Carbon Limits and Energy for America’s Renewal (CLEAR) Act with my colleague Senator Collins of Maine. Our bill would require fossil fuel producers and importers to bid for a gradually declining number of permits in order to bring coal, oil, or natural gas into the U.S. economy. By using an auction to put a price on carbon, the CLEAR Act would harness the free market to find the most cost-effective ways to reduce carbon pollution without adding to the national debt. Of the hundreds of billions of dollars that would be raised annually from fossil fuel producers, three-quarters would be refunded directly to the American public through equal per-capita monthly dividends, protecting all but the most prosperous households from any resulting energy price increases. The remaining auction revenues would support a range of climate related needs including investments in clean energy technologies, improving the resiliency of our nation’s infrastructure and public lands, responding to extreme weather damage, reducing greenhouse gases in the forestry and agricultural sectors, and providing needs-based, regionally targeted assistance for communities and workers transitioning to a less carbon intensive economy. Unlike a carbon tax, this model guarantees that the U.S. will meet science-based emission reduction targets and comply with our international climate commitments under the Paris Agreement. I am also pleased that last December Congress passed a bipartisan, comprehensive energy package that will support major new investments in clean energy R&D and spur the deployment of more renewable energy. This legislation included a number of provisions I authored to modernize our nation’s electricity grid and make buildings smarter and more efficient across the country. One of my bills that was incorporated in this energy package, S. 2332, the Grid Modernization Act of 2019, authorizes $1.6 billion over eight years to fund new Department of Energy (DOE) R&D into ways to upgrade our grid and demonstrate new technologies like energy storage, micro-grids, and advanced electric vehicle chargers. As our energy system faces the twin challenges of more extreme weather and the need to incorporate millions of new sources of renewable generation, I plan to continue pushing for the policies and federal investment necessary to build a 21st century grid able to provide every American with, reliable, resilient, and affordable power. I am also working to leverage my position as Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to push legislation that will improve our understanding and response to climate change impacts to our oceans and waterways. For example, I am focused on finding ways to improve ocean data collection and monitoring as well as bolster ocean acidification research, which is critical to protecting shellfish and fishery resources in Puget Sound. Throughout my tenure in the United States Senate, making our nation’s energy system cleaner, more efficient, and more affordable has been a top priority and I’m proud to have successfully enacted legislation to promote the production of renewable energy, incentivize energy efficiency, and protect our environment. Those efforts include authoring the legislation that provides the $7,500 tax credit for consumers who purchase a plug-in electric vehicle, securing the first increase in fuel economy standards in 25 years, and championing clean energy tax incentives, financing instruments, and research and development that have enabled companies and credit markets to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in clean energy and empower homeowners to generate and save their own energy. Please be assured that I will continue to work with my colleagues to promote policies and enact laws that reduce carbon pollution and address the climate crisis. Thank you again for contacting me to share your thoughts on this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of further assistance. Sincerely, For future correspondence with my office, please visit my website at
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