Democrats in the House of Representatives on February 6 convened a pair of hearings to consider the effects of global climate change and identify solutions lawmakers can explore to reduce harmful emissions. And while both hearings featured bipartisan agreement that climate change is occurring and influenced by human activity, there was less consensus about what can or should be done in response.
At the hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change, full committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) said climate adaptation must be central to response efforts, so Congress must “help communities better adapt” to climate change, including by taking steps to “modernize and upgrade our infrastructure to ensure vital services like water, sewer, electricity, telecommunications, and transportation are more resilient.” Other Democrats on the subcommittee endorsed calls for a “Green New Deal” that would set a goal of transitioning the nation to 100 percent renewable energy in ten years.
Republicans on the subcommittee, while agreeing that climate change is a problem, advocated a more measured response. Full committee ranking Republican Greg Walden (R-Ore.) called for “solutions that prioritize adaptation, innovation, and conservation,” but also warned that proposals to quickly decarbonize the U.S. economy would carry serious “adverse economic and employment impacts.”
The story was similar at a Natural Resources Committee hearing also held on February 6, where members of both parties agreed on the need for more resilient infrastructure. But while Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) called for lawmakers to move “from climate change denial to climate action,” his Republican counterpart Rob Bishop (Utah) expressed a preference for “more state, local, and private sector efforts and to encourage innovative ideas to address pollution.”