CONGRESSMAN MORELLE RENEWS PUSH FOR BOLD INVESTMENTS TO ADDRESS EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CRISIS

(Rochester, NY) – Today, Congressman Joe Morelle reiterated his support for bold, comprehensive federal action to reduce America's carbon emissions, invest in critical climate infrastructure, and curb the damaging effects of climate change across the nation. Rep. Morelle outlined legislative priorities he hopes to include in the Build Back Betteragenda.

"The fate of our ecosystem and our entire planet are in jeopardy. We've already begun to see the severe impacts of climate change, and they will only get worse unless we take action—now," said Rep. Joe Morelle. "We need bold investments to secure the long-term health and vitality of our planet and reduce our carbon footprint. I'm fighting tirelessly to advance these priorities in the Build Back Better agenda and beyond, and I'm grateful to be working alongside such dedicated community partners as we seek to protect our planet for future generations."

According to a recent United Nations report, human-caused carbon emissions over the last few centuries have exacerbated the climate crisis and driven our planet perilously close to a point of no return. As a member of the Education and Labor Committee and House Budget Committee, Rep. Morelle participated in marking up the Build Back Better legislation where he fought to include provisions to address the effects of climate change, including:

• Hundreds of billions of dollarsto invest in communities disproportionately affected by climate change and address environmental justice.
• $150 billion in the Clean Electricity Performance Program (CEPP) to give the Department of Energy the teeth it needs to ensure providers are transitioning to renewable energy.
• Over $120 billion to electrify public transportation and create a first-ever national network of EV chargers.
• A Civilian Climate Corps to employ thousands of citizens to build desperately needed infrastructure projects across America.
• Billions more to modernize our grid, expand the use of solar energy, reduce pollution, purify our water among many other critically important measures.

Rep. Morelle has also long championed additional legislation to tackle the climate crisis, including:

• The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, which would incentivize companies to curb their emissions by charging a fee to use fossil fuel and then pass 100% of that revenue to the American people in the form of a dividend.
• The THRIVE Agenda Act, which would establish eight guiding pillars to promote environmental and economic growth.
• The Environmental Justice for All Act, which would provide remedies to address harmful air and water pollution that have impacted frontline communities most affected by emissions.
• The Urban Forest Act, to create a grant program that would promote and expand access to green space within urban communities.

"Climate change is both a threat and an opportunity for our region. Successfully mitigating and adapting to the climate crisis will require rehabilitating our aging housing stock, dramatically improving our public and active transportation systems, repairing crumbling infrastructure, modernizing the electricity grid, and creating a sustainable food system," said Abby McHugh-Grifa, Executive Director of the Climate Solutions Accelerator. "These actions create jobs, stimulate our local economy, and make our neighborhoods cleaner, stronger, healthier, and more resilient. Though time is running short to take advantage of these opportunities, the Build Back Better agenda is exactly the catalyst we need to transform our region's economy and capitalize on the many benefits that effective climate action affords, and so I want to thank Congressman Morelle for his tireless efforts to secure the investment in climate solutions that we will need to make this transformation possible."

"We are thrilled to see climate solutions take center stage in Congress, and we are deeply appreciative of Rep. Morelle's strong leadership on this issue," said Sarah Mittiga, Co-lead, Rochester chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby. "As citizens, we need Congress to go big on climate, and put a price on carbon. 70% of Americans and business leaders across all sectors support carbon pricing policy. A carbon price will rapidly reduce emissions, save lives by cutting pollution, and keep our economy strong. Congress cannot pass up this opportunity to put the US on the right path."

"Rep. Morelle's legislative priorities realize the tremendous opportunity we have as a community— namely to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, while simultaneously creating economic prosperity for those, that for far too long, have been marginalized," said Simeon Banister, Executive Vice President at Rochester Area Community Foundation. "The route to our community's vibrancy and sustainability leads directly through its most vulnerable residents, and we look forward to supporting our Congressman's efforts to bring these priorities to fruition."

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