Rep. Neguse Hosts U.S. House Speaker Pelosi for Tour of Colorado's Federal Labs

Statement

Today, Congressman Joe Neguse welcomed United States House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Colorado's Second Congressional District for a tour of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). After a tour of the facility, the lawmakers hosted a roundtable discussion on the impacts the recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act will have on scientific research and innovation across the country. Participants included Dr. Antonio Busalacchi, President of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), as well as representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Science Foundation.

"Colorado's nationally-renowned federal labs are a key driver of economic growth for our state, and I was honored to host Speaker Pelosi to tour these research facilities and see Colorado innovation at work. Through the recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act, we are making significant investments in scientific research and clean energy that will benefit Colorado for decades to come. I was proud to play a role in the passage of the historic legislation, and to join Speaker Pelosi today in highlighting impact this legislation will have on our collective effort combatting the climate crisis." said Congressman Neguse.

"It was a privilege to join Congressman Joe Neguse at NCAR's cutting-edge Mesa Laboratory, seeing firsthand how federal labs are blazing new trails in our nation's fight against the climate crisis," Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. "Thanks to President Biden and Democrats in Congress, the Inflation Reduction Act is helping to turbocharge scientific research here in Colorado and across the country -- putting America on a path to saving the planet. House Democrats are grateful for Congressman Neguse's invaluable leadership in our fight to put People Over Politics: lowering costs, creating better-paying jobs and building safer communities."

"We thank Representative Neguse for bringing together local government, national lawmakers, and the world's top scientists to discuss the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). This bill is the opportunity that Boulder County has been waiting for to scale up our programs to meet our climate goals and build the climate resilience we desperately need. Local governments will be central to these efforts, as they'll be responsible for many of the projects this bill will fund. Like Boulder County, communities across the country are experiencing the catastrophic impacts of climate disasters. We have a lot of work to do, and we are grateful for our national and scientific community partnerships." said Dr. Susie Strife, Boulder County Director of Sustainability, Climate Action & Resilience

"Thank you for the solar rebates incentives through the Inflation Reduction Act. What a great way to help communities build power resiliency." said Dr. Gretchen Mullendore, Director of the Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorology Laboratory at NCAR.

The recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act marks the single largest investment in climate action in American history, delivering significant investments for clean energy production, scientific research, wildfire response, and wildlife recovery. The historic legislative package greatly invests in federal labs, propelling scientific research and innovation across the country. For Coloradans, the Inflation Reduction Act advanced several key priorities including; $5 billion for forest and reforestation investments and wildfire mitigation programs, $4 billion for the Bureau of Reclamation to combat drought conditions across the West, and $2 billion for federal labs throughout the country -- with both NCAR and NOAA falling under this jurisdiction.

The Inflation Reduction Act will have a real impact on the American public, tackling the climate crisis and bolstering energy security through:

Investments in President Biden's climate goal, including $369 billion for new clean technologies across the country;

Reducing greenhouse gases, cutting down consumption by 1 billion metric tons by the year 2030;

Increasing energy security and independence for American families, significantly decreasing household energy costs;

Funding for and the subsidizing of energy-efficient equipment;

Increasing access to electric vehicles (EVs);

Extending clean energy tax credits;

And doubling down on funding for American manufacturing, research, and innovation.

Background:

Throughout his time in Congress, Representative Neguse has been a proud advocate for the continued funding of national laboratories. In May 2022, Rep. Neguse joined fellow Coloradan Representative Ed Perlmutter (CO-07) and other members of the House Science, Space & Technology Committee in touring NCAR amongst other first-class federal laboratories and companies in the state. Tour participants were able to discuss the important work being done in aerospace, space exploration, weather forecasting, satellite imaging, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. Rep. Neguse is also the sponsor of the Federal Labs Modernization Act, legislation that would prioritize the investment in and modernization of federal labs.

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