On the recordDecember 10, 2019
Last week, I was honored to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference with Speaker Pelosi and my Democratic colleagues in Congress. That conference focused on the urgent need to prevent climate change from destroying our oceans. The consensus is clear: Oceans across the planet are already being damaged, and coastal communities everywhere are hurting. At the conference, we were asked how we plan to respond to the climate crisis. We could either plan now and build a sustainable future or delay and pay a very, very heavy price. To me, that was an easy choice. While we need to end our dependence on fossil fuels, we also need to plan for the impacts we already know are coming for millions of Americans. This package of bills does that. Forty percent of Americans live in coastal counties. From fishing to shipping to recreation and tourism, American jobs depend on healthy, resilient coasts. These communities need the tools to protect themselves. We need to support our coastal communities in their adaptation and resilience planning, especially indigenous and disadvantaged communities that are often most at risk. We need to support all these communities and fund adaptation and coastal planning that will protect these communities and their ways of life.…
