Congressman Dan Goldman Offers Coastal Communities Amendment to Republican ‘Polluters Over People’ Act
Republicans Defend Fossil Fuel Industry Handouts; Kill Amendment Before It Could Come to Floor for Vote
Coastal Communities Amendment Would Ensure H.R.1 Does Not Negatively Impact Climate Resiliency or Pollution Levels
Requires Certification of Progress Toward Paris Climate Accord & Justice40 Initiative Targets
Washington D.C. – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) today argued for his Coastal Communities Amendment to Republican’s Polluters Over People Act. The amendment would prevent the polluter handout bill from going into effect unless the Environmental Protection Agency could certify that it would not result in any negative impacts to coastal resiliency, pollution levels, coastal communities, or the ability of the United States to meet the targets established in the Paris Climate Accord and Justice40 Initiative.
“As if the fossil fuel industry’s record-breaking profits aren’t enough, House Republicans’ flagship legislation for the 118th Congress is designed to sell out our coastal communities and gut environmental protections in the pursuit of profit,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “The impacts of climate change pose imminent threats to the 16 million New Yorkers and 127 million people nationwide who live in coastal communities. Instead of delivering more handouts to the biggest polluters in the country, Republicans should be working with us to take drastic action to ensure that millions of Americans will not suffer the consequences of unchecked fossil fuel production.”
Republican’s H.R. 1, The Polluters Over People Act creates new handouts and loopholes for the oil, gas, and mining industries without reference to the cheapest form of energy, green renewable energy.
H.R. 1 fails to address price gouging by big oil companies and forces even more of our public lands into the sole control of oil and gas companies. The Polluters Over People Act also allows anyone to dump toxic mining waste on our public lands for less than $10 an acre. H.R. 1 weakens enforcement of nearly all environmental and public health laws, disregarding clean air and safe drinking water as well as reversing the significant progress made by the Inflation Reduction Act to create new clean energy jobs and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Congressman Goldman’s Coastal Communities Amendment would prevent the Polluters over People Act from going into effect until the Environmental Protection Agency certifies that it would not negatively impact coastal resiliency, pollution levels, coastal communities, or our ability to meet the targets set in the Paris Climate Accord and Justice40 Initiative.
The handouts and giveaways that Republicans included in H.R. 1 would clearly harm our coastal communities, increase pollution, and contribute to already record-breaking flooding.
As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, Congressman Goldman is committed to guaranteeing the future of communities across the country, free from the existential threat of climate change. Congressman Goldman’s Coastal Communities Amendment would protect millions of Americans from fossil fuel industry greed and prevent Republicans from selling out our children’s futures.
Congressman Goldman understands that climate change presents some of the most pressing dangers to our future and is committed to doing everything in his power to create a clean energy future for our families.
Earlier this month, Congressman Goldman cosponsored the Big Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act to claw back windfall profits to the largest oil companies while lowering consumer costs for relief rebates. He also cosponsored the Energy Resilient Communities Actto maintain critical infrastructure in the aftermath of extreme weather events.
During his first month in office, the Congressman filed the Green Equity Amendment to replace the special interest fossil fuel giveaway requirements of the Republican Big Oil Bill with requirements that meet President Biden’s greenhouse gas reduction and climate justice goals. This amendment would have overturned the Republican fossil fuel giveaway and required certification that the Paris Climate Accords and Justice40 Initiative Targets were being met before tapping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
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