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Climate Solutions Caucus reaches 70 members
WASHINGTON, DC, Feb. 7, 2018 — This week, the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus in the House of Representatives welcomed two new members—Democrat Judy Chu from California and Republican Amata Radewagen from American Samoa—bringing membership in the caucus to 70.
“Protecting our environment and combating climate change is a job for all of us,” said Rep. Chu. “We must be above politics to ensure that the future we leave our children is livable and sustainable. I know that, working together, there are bipartisan solutions that can be reached. And that is why I am so grateful to Rep. Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen for joining me in this effort as we become the latest two members of the Climate Solutions Caucus.”
Citizens’ Climate Lobby Executive Director Mark Reynolds said the growth of the caucus is not surprising, given the consequences of climate change that are becoming increasingly apparent.
“House members who represent districts feeling the impact of climate change—no matter what their party—see the urgency for Congress to step up on this issue, and that’s clearly the case with representatives Chu and Radewagen,” said Reynolds. “The Climate Solutions Caucus has reached a critical mass with 70 members, raising hopes that bipartisan solutions will be forthcoming in the months ahead.”
Since the start of the 115th Congress, Republican membership in the caucus has risen dramatically, from six in January of 2017 to the current 35.
In an interview last month with Yale Environment 360, Rep. Carlos Curbelo, Republican co-chair and founder of the caucus, said, “We are in what I consider the second phase of the caucus, which is the blocking and tackling phase where we try to take on anti-climate legislation and defeat it on the House floor, which we’ve done a couple times. Then hopefully in the near future, perhaps this Congress, perhaps next Congress, the caucus can become a true ideas factory where we proffer good policy solutions for the environment, for rising sea levels, for climate change-related challenges. That’s the goal.”
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