Environment

Nature is not a renewable resource, and we should take care to continue Teddy Roosevelt’s legacy of conservation. Staten Island is the “Borough of Parks,” and it’s important to me that future generations have the same opportunities to explore and discover all that nature has to offer.

I believe that we can strike an appropriate balance between protecting the environment and advancing our country’s growth and economy. The RAPID Act, for example, maintains important environmental approval processes while allowing job-creating projects to advance safely and within a reasonable timeframe.

America is blessed with abundant natural energy reserves, and we shouldn’t eliminate our global competitiveness in the energy marketplace. Still, we must be cognizant of the future. Energy reserves won’t last forever, and the new jobs of the 21st century will be concentrated in renewables. We should take active steps to prepare our country and our workforce so America remains a top energy resource for the world.

I’m a proud cosponsor of Rep. Elise Stefanik’s resolution, H.Res. 195, Expressing the commitment of the House of Representatives to conservative environmental stewardship. More frequent and intense storms have become the norm, as Staten Island and South Brooklyn tragically experienced during Superstorm Sandy. This resolution commits the House of Representatives to working constructively, using our tradition of American ingenuity, innovation, and exceptionalism, to create and support economically viable, and broadly supported private and public solutions to study and address the causes and effects of measured changes to our global and regional climates, including mitigation efforts and efforts to balance human activities that have been found to have an impact.