House lawmakers release bill to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050
Congressional lawmakers released the framework for a new climate plan that seeks to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas pollution in the United States by 2050.
The Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for our Nation’s (CLEAN) Future Act details sector-specific solutions to address the climate crisis. Avoiding the most catastrophic outcomes of climate change requires cutting carbon pollution to net-zero by 2050, according to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The draft bill incorporates both proven and novel concepts to address climate change and presents policy proposals to put the U.S. on the path to a clean economy.
“Record wildfires, flooding, heatwaves, and drought have spelled out a dire reality: the climate crisis is here, and we can no longer afford to address this crisis along the margins. Today we are providing the kind of serious federal leadership this moment requires,” Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), one of the bill’s sponsors, said. “This plan represents our commitment to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas pollution. For the sake of the American people, the long-term sustainability of our economy, and public health, we must act boldly, and that is exactly what we intend to do.”
It was also sponsored by Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Energy Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL).
“Meeting the climate crisis head-on is our only hope of avoiding grave and costly outcomes for our communities. Acting swiftly means we can still turn the looming climate threat into opportunity for economic growth and job creation as we build America’s clean energy and climate-resilient future,” Tonko said. “This legislation will be the top priority for my subcommittee this year.”
