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Energy and Environment

On the Record Against Global Warming
Congresswoman Johnson’s involvement on the House Science Committee has provided her with access to the advice of the world’s premier climate scientists.  Scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an international consortium of scientists charged with providing facts on the status of global warming, have testified multiple times before the House Science Committee.  During the 110th Congress, Congresswoman Johnson spearheaded a letter to the President, urging him to act immediately to reduce the impacts of climate change.  Sixteen other members of the House of Representatives joined her in signing the letter.

Smart Energy for Texas
The State of Texas has been considered for substantial grant money to develop technologies to derive energy from coal more efficiently and with less environmental harm.  Currently, much of our nation’s energy comes from coal, a plentiful, domestic resource that is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.  The Department of Energy (DOE) has begun an initiative to fund research on how to utilize coal as an energy source while at the same time reducing carbon dioxide emissions that result in global warming.  Congresswoman Johnson has proactively advocated, in writing, to DOE to recommend that her home state of Texas be awarded federal grant money for the Texas Clean Energy Project.

Careful Study of Climate Change
Always a careful study of energy-related issues, Congresswoman Johnson joined the Energy Subcommittee of the House Science Committee.  The Energy Subcommittee is the real workhorse for federal support of forward-thinking energy research.  During the 110th Congress, the subcommittee worked on issues including climate change; solar, geothermal, and vehicle technologies; biofuels development; water efficiency and conservation; a NASA weather and climate satellite program; DOE’s FutureGen program addressing clean coal technology; and ocean acidification resulting from global warming.  The Congresswoman’s membership on this influential committee provides her with access to the world’s best technical information on energy policy.  It also gives her a seat at the table in shaping any energy technology policy put forward by the federal government.

Improving Education on Developing “Greener” Buildings
The Congresswoman believes that strong support for education is critical for any effective climate change policy. During the last Congress, the House of Representatives passed several energy bills.  In H.R. 2850, the Green Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2007, the Congresswoman advocated for a program to improve education into how to design “green buildings,” structures that do no harm to the environment and are energy-efficient.  She succeeded in amending the bill, in Science Committee, to strengthen education and curriculum development in the area of “green” architecture.

Government Transparency and Climate Change

During the 110th Congress, the House Science Committee passed H.R. 2337, the Energy Policy Reform and Revitalization Act.  Congresswoman Johnson introduced an amendment that would direct the Interagency Council on Climate Change to share with the public which ecosystems, water supplies and infrastructure are particularly vulnerable to climate change.  The Congresswoman believes that the federal government must remain transparent, by communicating scientific information about climate change openly with the public.