Energy and Environment

Protecting our environment is one of my top priorities. My assignments on the House Committee on Appropriations and Committee on Natural Resources give me opportunities to protect our oceans and public lands, combat climate change, accelerate our transition to renewable energy and oppose attempts to roll back critical environmental regulations.

As Hawai`i and the rest of our planet confront the impacts of climate change, we must act immediately to respond to this global crisis. To this end, I have cosponsored multiple pieces of legislation and spoken in both my committees and before the full House on the issue of climate change. You can find examples of my statements on my YouTube channel (https://youtu.be/w7vcR9Qj7c8 and https://youtu.be/p5uoavcmkZU). 

I also believe we must pivot our nation to a clean energy future. I have long supported the development of clean energy alternatives that will reduce emissions and address climate change. For example, I cosponsored H.R. 2256 and H.R. 2096, which will incentivize more Americans to invest in cleaner technologies. These and other bills I supported will help combat climate change and restore our environment.

In addition, I believe we must take the full range of actions to protect our natural heritage and ensure sensitive and important areas survive and prosper for generations to come. For example, I have introduced legislation to begin the process of creating a National Forest and a National Heritage Area in our Hawai`i. This will unlock federal resources currently unavailable to our state.

Finally, we must protect our oceans. From climate change and ocean warning, to nonpoint-source pollution, trash, overfishing and beyond, they are on an unsustainable path and desperately need our help to save them. This is why I introduced legislation to protect our nation's coral reefs, passed an amendment to include our oceans as part of the discussions surrounding the Paris Climate Agreement and worked to strengthen our National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Corps, which conducts vital research into the health of our oceans.