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A2 UP FRONT
Monday 11 February 2019

Leader of new climate panel talks of need for 'bold action'

By MATTHEW DALY term representing the Tam- able energy.
Associated Press pa Bay area, said Congress Castor dismissed the idea
WASHINGTON (AP) — It has a "moral obligation" to that the Green New Deal —
does not yet have office protect future generations put forth by freshman Rep.
space, staff or even Re- from the costly effects of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
publican members, but climate change, including of New York and veteran
Florida Rep. Kathy Castor more severe hurricanes, a Sen. Ed Markey of Massa-
is confident that a special longer wildfire season and chusetts — will conflict with
House committee on cli- a dangerous sea-level rise. the climate panel.
mate change will play a House Speaker Nancy Pe- "My job and the com-
leading role on one of the losi named Castor to lead mittee's job is to take the
most daunting challenges the panel in December, general concepts (of the
facing the planet. saying she brings experi- Green New Deal) and turn
Castor, who chairs the new ence, energy and urgency them into a real policy
panel, says those early ob- to what Pelosi called "the framework and legislative
stacles can be overcome existential threat of the cli- language and eventually
as lawmakers move to re- mate crisis" facing the Unit- law," she said.
duce carbon pollution and In this April 1, 2014 file photo, Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., talks dur- ed States and the world. Pelosi agreed, saying in
ing a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Oversight
create clean-energy jobs. and Investigation on Capitol Hill in Washington. The climate panel is similar a statement that the cli-
"The Democratic caucus is Associated Press to one Pelosi created when mate panel will "spearhead
unified under the belief we Democrats last controlled Democrats' work to devel-
have to take bold action While that can take many wind and solar power is "job the House from 2007 to op innovative, effective
on the climate crisis," Cas- forms, the transition to re- one," she said. 2010. The panel was elimi- solutions to prevent and re-
tor said in an interview. newable energy such as Castor, who's in her seventh nated when Republicans verse the climate crisis."
took the majority in 2011. Pelosi invited Ocasio-Cor-
While the previous panel tez, a social media star and
played a key role in House the best-known member
approval of a landmark of the large class of fresh-
2009 bill to address global man Democrats, to join
warming, Castor said the the climate panel, but she
new panel is likely to fo- declined, saying she wants
cus on a variety of actions to focus on the Green New
rather than a single piece Deal and other committee
of legislation. assignments.
She and the eight other Three freshmen — Sean
Democrats named to the Casten of Illinois, Mike
panel "are ready to stand Levin of California and Joe
up to corporate polluters Neguse of Colorado —
and special interests" as serve on the panel, along
they press for action to re- with veteran lawmakers
duce greenhouse gas emis- such as Rep. Ben Ray Lujan
sions and move toward a of New Mexico, the fourth-
clean-energy economy, ranking House Democrat,
Castor said. and Californians Julia
"Climate deniers, fossil fuel Brownley and Jared Huff-
companies and other spe- man, both close Pelosi al-
cial interests have had an lies.
outsized influence" in Con- "We need their passion
gress in recent years, she and energy, and we need
said, promising to "stand support from all corners all
up" to those forces to pro- across the country," Castor
tect the environment and said of the freshmen mem-
create green jobs. bers. "It's all hands on deck
The climate panel is sepa- right now." Republicans
rate from an effort by Dem- have not named anyone
ocrats to launch a Green to the climate committee,
New Deal to transform the but six GOP members are
U.S. economy and create expected to join the panel
thousands of jobs in renew- this month.q