The Issues
Energy & Environment
The verdict of science is clear: climate change is real, and its consequences are undeniable. Rising seas, savage droughts, and increasingly extreme and unpredictable weather patterns will impact every nation on every continent—and communities across America are already feeling the effects.
There is no time left to deny the reality of climate change, or to turn a blind eye on the impact it is having on our country. Climate change threatens our economic security, our national security, and our food security, and we must act quickly to reduce carbon pollution and secure a sustainable future for our children and our children’s children.
Our investments in fighting climate change are investments in innovation, in technology, in industry and in jobs. House Democrats want to move America in a new direction for energy independence—working to lower energy prices, make America more secure, and launch a cleaner, smarter, more cost-effective energy future that creates hundreds of thousands of clean energy jobs.
WHAT DEMOCRATS ARE DOING
Profits for the biggest oil companies were at record-breaking levels in the last few years and Congress must take action to ease the pain at the pump. Democrats are working to:
- End tax breaks for Big Oil: American taxpayers are also footing the bill for tens of billions in tax breaks for Big Oil, even as oil companies are raking in huge profits. By repealing the tax breaks to multi-national oil companies, we can reduce the deficit and invest in clean energy jobs.
- Invest in clean energy jobs: We remain committed to building a clean energy economy – focusing on American renewable energy, like wind and solar, and clean and efficient vehicles — that will reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil, lower energy costs for American families and businesses for good, and create millions of jobs that can’t be outsourced.
- Preserve environmental protections: House Democrats support the Obama Administration’s action to cut carbon pollution 30 percent by 2030. We are fighting to sustain and strengthen key environmental protections that help address air pollution, oil spills, disposal of solid and hazardous waste, toxic chemical use and reduction, and our nation’s drinking water resources.