[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 169 (Tuesday, September 29, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E893-E894]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           EXPANDING ACCESS TO SUSTAINABLE ENERGY ACT OF 2019

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 23, 2020

  Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4447, 
the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act.
  As we know from the devastating wildfires in my state, the reality of 
the climate crisis is here. The planet we are leaving to our children 
is different from the one we were born on, and we have to reverse 
course now before it is too late.
  I want to thank my colleagues who offered amendments to make this an 
even stronger green bill. In particular, I thank my friend 
Representative Barragan for offering an amendment I co-sponsored to 
invest in helping seaports to make their operations more efficient and 
less polluting. And I thank the environmental groups who gave critical 
input on this legislation and on the urgent need for our country and 
for the world to close the chapter on the era of fossil fuels.
  During this year's unprecedented wildfires, smoke has been at 
unhealthy and even hazardous levels for weeks on end in my district. 
Wildfire smoke is especially damaging to vulnerable populations, for 
example unsheltered people. H.R. 4447 includes the Smoke Planning and 
Research Act to help state and local governments protect their 
communities from wildfire smoke. I believe we have a critical need for 
this legislation to respond to a serious threat to public health--for 
example by creating shelters for at-risk populations or retrofitting 
schools with air filters so students can safely attend school.

[[Page E894]]

  H.R. 4447 also includes the Climate Smart Ports Act, which will help 
us address health disparities and other issues in communities near 
ports, which have often suffered from generations of environmental 
injustice. The legislation includes a $1 billion per year zero 
emissions ports infrastructure program to assist ports and port users 
with replacing cargo handling equipment, port harbor craft, drayage 
trucks, and other equipment with zero emissions equipment and 
technology. In West Oakland, the neighborhood bordering the Port of 
Oakland, the asthma hospitalization rate for children under the age of 
5 is almost twice the rate for Alameda County as a whole. We must take 
action to reduce the massive amounts of fossil fuels burned by ports--
both to address the climate crisis and to help our kids breathe.
  I have heard the concerns expressed about some key provisions of this 
bill, and those concerns are valid. I do not support funding for 
projects that could result in further use of dirty or dangerous energy 
sources. I hope that we can work to improve this bill as it moves 
through the legislative process.
  Nonetheless, much of the content of this bill would make necessary 
steps toward the clean energy revolution that we are all working for. 
It encourages the innovation that we need to address the fossil fuel-
driven climate emergency while investing in renewable energy resources, 
electrification of transportation, reduction of carbon pollution from 
industrial and other sources, modernization of the grid and much more.
  For these reasons, I support H.R. 4447 as a significant step away 
from fossil fuels and towards innovation and cleaner energy.

                          ____________________