Issue Position: Climate Change

Issue Position

To the dismay of the overwhelming majority in the scientific community, the current republican-led Congress and this President do not believe climate change is real. This ill-fated belief is despite decades of evidence and research to the contrary. The republicans, especially this President, seem obsessed with creating more jobs in the coal industry. They are completely ignoring the devastatingly horrific health ramifications most coal workers eventually suffer from.

We need an independent leader in Congress who will work for us to find solutions and make progress on climate change. I understand the devastating impact climate change is having on every aspect of our economy and our health. We have a moral obligation to our children to leave them a future with a vibrant, clean-energy economy and a stable, healthy climate. Working in a bi-partisan manner to find smart solutions to climate change will be among my top priorities.

For many years, Washington State has been a leader in addressing the threats climate change poses to our farms, our forests, our fisheries, and of paramount importance, the health of our people.

Our state legislature was the first in the country to adopt limits on greenhouse gases. Recently, the Washington State Department of Ecology adopted one of the most progressive standards in the nation to cap and reduce carbon pollution, when it implemented the Clean Air Rule.

Efforts to spearhead effective change on this critical climate issue hasn't been without its struggles. Those opposed to any action designed to combat climate change have framed the debate as a contest between jobs and the environment. The truth is that study after study have shown reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, and transitioning to clean energy, can have enormous economic benefits. At the same time, it will improve our ability to protect our planet from the impact of catastrophic climate change. In fact, clean energy jobs are now outstripping the number of paychecks provided by the fossil fuel industry.

Washington State is well-positioned to lead the nation, and the world, in a necessary move away from fossil fuels towards clean, renewable energy. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) based in Richland, is a national leader in climate science, energy and environmental science, alternative energy, and power grid technology.

Researchers at PNNL and other local research and development organizations, as well as innovative businesses, can serve as the leaders for the creation of clean energy products and the jobs they produce in our district. We need leadership dedicated to protecting the continuation of PNNL's research. Maintaining the crucial research conducted at PNNL is one of my top priorities.

You can play a key role in deciding the direction we go on climate change by changing who represents you in Congress. Your vote can elect an independent-thinking leader who is committed to working for all of us. Vote to make a difference.

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