Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee Chairman Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Energy Subcommittee Chairman Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) today released legislative text of the draft Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for our Nation’s (CLEAN) Future Act - an ambitious new climate plan to ensure the United States achieves net-zero greenhouse gas pollution no later than 2050.
“This draft legislation presents a set of comprehensive, specific steps for achieving net-zero greenhouse gas pollution," Pallone, Tonko and Rush said. “Every day, communities across the country are paying the price for inaction through record wildfires, flooding and drought, and Congress cannot afford to simply watch from the sidelines. The CLEAN Future Act treats this climate crisis like the emergency that it is, while also setting the foundation for strengthening our economy and creating good paying jobs for a clean and climate-resilient future. We look forward to continuing to work with all impacted stakeholders on this proposal in the coming months."
The CLEAN Future Act is a comprehensive proposal of sector-specific and economy-wide solutions to address the climate crisis. Critically, the CLEAN Future Act formally adopts the goal of achieving a 100 percent clean economy by 2050. According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, avoiding the most catastrophic outcomes of climate change requires meeting this target. To that end, the draft bill incorporates both proven and novel concepts, presenting a comprehensive set of policy proposals within the Committee’s jurisdiction that will put the U.S. on the path to a clean and prosperous economy.
Today’s release of the draft legislative text follows the announcement of the legislative framework earlier this month and is the result of the Committee’s ongoing work to seriously and meaningfully tackle the climate crisis. To date, the Committee has held 15 hearings addressing the climate crisis, including seven focused on how best to facilitate deep decarbonization of various sectors of our economy.
The Committee is requesting feedback and recommendations from all stakeholders as it continues to expand and refine the CLEAN Future Act. To that end, hearings and stakeholder meetings will continue throughout the coming year. Feedback can be submitted to CleanFuture@mail.house.gov.
