Issue Position: Climate Change

Issue Position

The changing climate is the defining challenge of my generation. It's a threat to our economy, our way of life, our entire existence. If there is one benefit from our experience with this pandemic, I hope it is a greater appreciation for science and the impact that collective changed behavior can have on the world's environment.

As a working mom of two young kids, I think every day about the future our kids will have with our world literally on fire due to climate change. As someone who has worked on economic development, I understand the urgency and importance of comprehensive climate action and the repercussions of inaction. And as a woman of color, I know that too often front-line communities can be overlooked in the fight against climate change.

As a former WA State Representative, I'm proud to have been a part of Washington state's bold leadership in combating the crisis. I was the primary sponsor of the Healthy Environments for All (HEAL) Act, which would require Washington state agencies to develop strategies to apply an environmental justice lens to their work and target investments in low income and communities of color -- communities that are on the front-lines of pollution and health disparities.

I'm proud to have been a part of Washington state's bold leadership in combating this crisis. We've established a Clean Energy Fund to grow well paid green jobs, we've built a $6 billion wind industry from scratch by incentivizing the private sector with renewable energy standards, and we passed a law to end Washington's use of coal and shift our state to use 100% clean energy to generate electricity.

I believe America must take a leadership role in addressing climate change, not only to protect ourselves from threats like hurricanes and wildfires that increasingly threaten our daily lives and resources, but because we must take advantage of the economic opportunity that exists to be a leader in the creation of clean energy jobs and the next generation of economic innovation.

I will be a leader in Congress in raising the profile of, and fighting for solutions to, the climate crisis. I will bring credibility and experience to the fight that comes from my experience as a legislator at the forefront of elevating this crisis in the national dialogue and crafting innovative solutions to address the threat. I'll also have the urgency that comes from being a 39-year-old with two small children who understands their future will be severely degraded unless we successfully meet this challenge now.

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