Climate Change & Natural Resources

As a longtime clean energy advocate and environmental attorney, Rep. Levin knows that the climate crisis is the defining issue of our time. With California experiencing worsening droughts, heat waves, and rising sea levels, Rep. Levin believes we must take aggressive action now to limit the worst effects on our planet and preserve our natural resources for future generations. 

Rep. Levin is proud to serve on the House Natural Resources Committee and the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. He knows that we can grow our economy, create new jobs in America, and combat the climate crisis at the same time, and he has introduced a number of bills to achieve those goals, including:

• The Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act with Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) to promote renewable energy on public lands in a way that supports conservation

• The Climate Action Now Act to prohibit the Administration from using any federal funds to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement

• The Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEV) Act to facilitate nationwide adoption of electric and fuel cell cars

• The Green Spaces, Green Vehicles Act to fund the installation of electric and fuel cell charging infrastructure on public lands and facilitate the conversion of Park Service and Forest Service fleets to zero emission vehicles

Rep. Levin has also worked to hold the Trump Administration accountable as it continues to eliminate key environmental protections, reject established climate science, and serve as a revolving door for fossil fuel lobbyists. He confronted Department of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt on his responsibility to fight climate change, pressed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to explain its rationale for allowing the continued use of toxic chemicals that are harmful to children, and urged the EPA Administrator to read the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s Fourth National Climate Assessment. 

With over 50 miles of beautiful California coastline in the 49th District, Rep. Levin is particularly concerned about protecting our beaches, oceans, marine life, and coastal businesses from future oil spills. One of the first bills he signed onto was the Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act, which blocks new offshore drilling along the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines, as well as the Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act to prevent drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.

Rep. Levin has also worked to protect our natural resources by supporting the Endangered Species Act, making permanent and fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and reforming the Bureau of Land Management's oil and gas leasing program.

Finally, he has fought for funding to support the world-class climate scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, and helped secure $57 million to support research programs at Scripps to better inform management of water in California.