[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 932 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 932
Expressing support for honoring the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 21, 2020
Mr. McEachin (for himself, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Johnson of Texas, Ms.
Castor of Florida, Mr. Engel, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. Smith of
Washington, Mr. Takano, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Deutch, Mr.
Kilmer, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Rush, Mr. Lujan, Ms. Adams, Mrs. Axne, Ms.
Barragan, Ms. Bass, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. Bera, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Blumenauer,
Ms. Blunt Rochester, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Brendan F. Boyle of
Pennsylvania, Mr. Brown of Maryland, Ms. Brownley of California, Mr.
Carbajal, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Mr. Cartwright, Mr. Case, Mr. Casten
of Illinois, Mr. Cisneros, Ms. Clark of Massachusetts, Ms. Clarke of
New York, Mr. Clay, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Cooper,
Mr. Correa, Mr. Costa, Mr. Cox of California, Ms. Craig, Mr. Crow, Ms.
Dean, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. Michael F. Doyle of Pennsylvania, Ms. Eshoo,
Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Foster, Ms. Fudge, Ms. Gabbard, Mr. Garamendi, Mr.
Garcia of Illinois, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Mr. Gomez, Ms. Haaland, Mr.
Hastings, Ms. Houlahan, Mr. Huffman, Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms. Jayapal, Mr.
Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Kildee, Mr. Kind, Mrs.
Kirkpatrick, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Ms. Kuster of New Hampshire, Mr.
Langevin, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Levin of
Michigan, Mr. Levin of California, Mr. Ted Lieu of California, Mr.
Lipinski, Mr. Lowenthal, Ms. McCollum, Mr. McNerney, Mr. Meeks, Ms.
Moore, Mr. Morelle, Ms. Mucarsel-Powell, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Neguse,
Mr. Norcross, Ms. Norton, Mr. O'Halleran, Ms. Omar, Mr. Panetta, Ms.
Pingree, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Porter, Mr. Price of North Carolina, Mr.
Quigley, Mr. Raskin, Mr. Richmond, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr.
Ruppersberger, Mr. Sablan, Ms. Sanchez, Mr. Sarbanes, Ms. Schakowsky,
Mr. Schneider, Mr. David Scott of Georgia, Mr. Serrano, Ms. Shalala,
Mr. Soto, Ms. Stevens, Mr. Suozzi, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Trone, Ms. Wasserman
Schultz, Mr. Welch, Ms. Wilson of Florida, and Mrs. Hayes) submitted
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy
and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing support for honoring the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and
for other purposes.
Whereas Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970;
Whereas April 22, 2020, will be the 50th anniversary of Earth Day;
Whereas the late Senator Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day, called on the
people of the United States to hold elected officials accountable for
failing to adequately protect the health of people and the natural
environment;
Whereas former Congressman Pete McCloskey served as co-chair and Denis Hayes
served as national coordinator of the first Earth Day celebration;
Whereas after witnessing years of environmental neglect, millions of Americans
of all ages, walks of life, and political affiliations gathered in
cities across the Nation on the first Earth Day to demand basic
protections for our planet and to commit to leaving behind a healthier
world for the next generation;
Whereas Earth Day united people who had been fighting against oil spills,
polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage and toxic dumps, the
loss of wildlife, and other environmental ills;
Whereas that work continues today;
Whereas Earth Day is an annual event created to promote environmental
citizenship and action year-round;
Whereas the first celebration of Earth Day was the largest environmental
grassroots event ever held at that time and is widely credited with
launching the modern environmental movement;
Whereas the voices of inaugural Earth Day participants galvanized an
unparalleled period of legislative and grassroots activity that changed
the way we interact with the environment, leading to the creation of the
Environmental Protection Agency, and passage of legislation such as the
Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Endangered Species Act;
Whereas, by 1990, Earth Day was celebrated globally, with 200,000,000 people in
141 countries participating in Earth Day events;
Whereas, on April 22, 2016, the 46th anniversary of Earth Day, 175 world leaders
signed the Paris Agreement, a landmark international agreement to combat
climate change and accelerate actions and investment in a sustainable,
clean energy future;
Whereas the 50th anniversary of Earth Day will be marked by tens of thousands of
engagement events in every country across the world;
Whereas Earth Day fosters environmental activism and stewardship around the
world, and encourages people to find ways to protect the environment,
including managing their own environmental impact;
Whereas on Earth Day, people engage in projects, initiatives, and campaigns to
protect and restore the planet including planting trees, removing
litter, cleaning up coral reefs, conserving water and energy, and other
environmentally responsible actions;
Whereas in recognition of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the Earth Challenge
2020 was launched, a global citizen science initiative to demonstrate
how small acts of science can add up to global change;
Whereas new and continuing challenges, including climate change, pollution, sea
level rise, and loss of forests, wetlands, and other wildlife habitats,
reinforce the need for adequate protections for the air we breathe, the
water we drink, the land we inhabit, and the animals we live alongside;
Whereas there is scientific consensus that climate change poses a dire threat to
our planet and its inhabitants, and that urgent and unprecedented
changes are needed to mitigate its worst effects;
Whereas Earth Day reaffirms our national responsibility in the global effort to
combat climate change and protect our planet for all;
Whereas Earth Day encourages us to acknowledge the prevalence of environmental
injustices that directly affect the health and well-being of individuals
and communities across the country, and affirms our commitment to
ameliorating existing environmental injustices, and to preventing future
injustices;
Whereas Earth Day reminds us of the need to expand environmental and climate
literacy not only to strengthen environmental and climate protections
but also to accelerate development of green technologies and creation of
green jobs that will benefit all communities; and
Whereas Earth Day reminds us we must not pass a world beyond repair to our
children: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and urges
the President to issue a proclamation recognizing the
anniversary of Earth Day, consistent with the practice of the
previous administration;
(2) encourages the American people to mark Earth Day by
working to address environmental challenges large and small,
from climate change to litter; to educate their friends,
neighbors, and elected representatives about the need for year-
round action; and to otherwise honor the stewardship ethic for
which Senator Gaylord Nelson stood;
(3) urges governments and peoples around the world to
continue building upon the Paris Agreement and other efforts to
ensure that future generations inherit a livable, sustainable,
and ecologically rich planet Earth; and
(4) reaffirms that immediate action is needed to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to protect our planet, public health,
and overall well-being of all people and wildlife.
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