Climate Action Now Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of amendment No. 30 to the Climate Action Now Act.

We are already seeing the economic benefits of taking action on climate change. In the United States, we have already created millions--I say millions--of jobs in the clean economy, from installing wind turbines and solar panels, to retrofitting buildings to make them more energy efficient, to assembling fuel-efficient vehicles and manufacturing the component parts for all of these clean energy technologies that can help drive down emissions.

My amendment acknowledges the important role clean energy jobs play in meeting the United States' commitment under the Paris Agreement.

There are currently more than 500,000 jobs in the renewable job industry alone, just an example of the millions of jobs we are creating in the clean economy as we work to meet our emissions reductions target.

By taking a leadership role in global climate action, we can harness these benefits and see even more economic growth and opportunities for communities everywhere, including in southern Illinois. And we need to make sure we do this in a way that not only creates jobs, but creates good family-sustaining jobs for working families throughout the country, including in my home State of Illinois and in the Eighth District of Illinois.

Economic growth, workforce development, and climate leadership go hand in hand. As cofounder and co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Solar Caucus, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. Chair, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel).

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Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from New York for his excellent remarks.

I have no further comments, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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