Policy Letter to Congressan McCarthy

October 31st, 2021

Hill Street 3726

News Berry, CA

The Honorable Kevin McCarthy,

2468 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congressman McCarthy,

My name is Hannah and I'm asking you to acknowledge the urgency of climate change and to commit to phasing out fossil fuels and coal in your Energy Innovation Agenda. While I appreciate the effort you are making to help our environment with your Energy Innovation Agenda I compel you to take greater action. We are currently in a crisis. Our earth is dying and we are to blame. We are already seeing the effects of our actions, temperatures are rising, wildfires are becoming more frequent, and animals are going extinct. Last year, a friend of mine lost her house to a wildfire in Napa. This showed me how big of a problem climate change is. Your Energy Innovation Agenda is not regarding Climate Change as a crisis, but rather a minor issue.

In the video you released to announce your plan you spoke of creating clean energy infrastructures that are “exportable.” I appreciate your concern for our economy, but would like to bring to your attention that environmental protection does not have to be exportable in order to have an economic benefit. There are plenty of actions we can take for our environment that will directly influence America's spending budget, saving us millions, if not billions annually. For example, think about the wetlands that were reintroduced into New York to clean the water. Water treatment systems would’ve cost billions of dollars in upkeep and employment, while the wetlands offer an alternative cheaper solution that simultaneously protects our environment. If we stabilize our ecosystem we will not have to invest money into programs that make up for what nature can no longer do.

You state that Democratic plans “take away American jobs, and make American energy more expensive by raising taxes and regulations.” I read deeper into The Energy Innovation webpage to see exactly what you meant. One of your linked articles stated “President Biden is signaling he will use any means necessary to illuminate fossil fuel production in the US instead of prioritizing American jobs and reliable energy.” While I appreciate your concern for American jobs, I believe that renewable energy sources can create employment opportunities as well. The price of running fossil fuel and coal plants is extremely high, while renewable energy is much more cost effective. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency 62% of renewable energy options such as wind and solar are cheaper than fossil fuel. In addition to this they continue to become cheaper every year, while fossil fuel is only becoming more expensive. Forbes stated “by 2025 almost every existing cold plant in the United States will cost more to operate than building replacement wind and solar within 35 miles of each plant.” Forbes also stated that there are 3.3 million Americans who work in clean energy, and that this number is only growing. Having a future with clean energy provides opportunities for many new jobs. These new plants will have to be built and hire employees. Car companies will have to look for cleaner fuel options, hire new employees for research, and implement this change in their automobiles. This is only two of many examples. You said it yourself in your agenda, you want innovation in order to achieve clean energy infrastructures. We will need a lot of innovation to switch to a clean energy world. The benefits include many new jobs and companies, and opportunities for economic growth. In addition to this, replacing coal plants with clean energy would prevent the emission of 3 gigatons of CO2 annually. We can save our earth and simultaneously grow our economy.

As a California congressman, you know how critical of a problem wildfires are. I read about your trillion trees initiative, and the effort you want to make to reforest areas that have been burned in wildfires. This is an incredible idea, but I do not believe that planting trees will prevent climate change. If we don’t pay attention to the other solutions like decreasing the carbon we release into the atmosphere through coal and fossil plants, these wildfires will continue to get worse. In 2020, 17,700 structures were burnt down as a result of these wildfires. These fires also threaten animals, such as Mountain lions. In 2020 there were estimated to be 600 deaths of mountain lions due to fires. Panthera Puma Program’s conservation scientist Veronica Yavovich stated “California’s native wildlife and plants evolved in habitats with regular fires, but these mega-fires present a whole new challenge.” The habitats of both California residents and animals are being destroyed. According to the NFPA, the 2020 wildfires cost around $140 billion. The aftermath of a wildfire is not only cleaning up and rebuilding, but also the money people lost from not being able to work, the money businesses lose out on, grocery store food that goes bad, hospital bills from people who got injured or inhaled too much smoke, and so on.

I recognize you represent a rural district that's made up of a lot of oil and agriculture families. You clearly are keen on the oil industry as Chevron has contributed $110,235 to your campaign, and Occidental Petroleum has contributed $116,396. I ask you to set your bias aside and think of what's best for California as a whole. We are in dire need of better representation, and we need to act now.

Sincerely,

Hannah, Student

Bagley, K. (2020, November 30). After Boehner, could the house get even less climate friendly? Inside Climate News. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://insideclimatenews.org/news/01102015/john-boehner-house-speaker-kevin-mccarthy-climate-change/.

California wildfires may have killed hundreds of cougars. The Wildlife Society. (2020, October 30). Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://wildlife.org/california-wildfires-may-have-killed-hundreds-of-cougars/.

Ebbs, S. (2020, February 13). House Republicans roll out 'realistic' platform to tackle climate change, including planting trees. ABC News. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-republicans-roll-realistic-platform-tackle-climate-change/story?id=68941712.

Gedye, G. (2021, October 11). How much do wildfires really cost California's economy? CalMatters. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://calmatters.org/economy/2021/10/california-wildfires-economic-impact/.

NFPA Journal. NFPA Journal - The Wildfire Crisis, November/December 2020. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Publications-and-media/NFPA-Journal/2020/November-December-2020/Features/Wildfire.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy - California district 23. OpenSecrets. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/kevin-mccarthy/contributors?cid=N00028152&cycle=CAREER.

The Energy Innovation Agenda. House Republican Leader. (2021, October 26). Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://www.republicanleader.gov/the-energy-innovation-agenda/.

Technology, E. I. P. and. (2019, April 22). Renewable energy job boom creates economic opportunity as coal industry slumps. Forbes. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/energyinnovation/2019/04/22/renewable-energy-job-boom-creating-economic-opportunity-as-coal-industry-slumps/?sh=42cc30a13665.

Written by Victoria Masterson, S. W. (n.d.). 'renewables' power ahead to become the world's cheapest source of energy in 2020. World Economic Forum. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/07/renewables-cheapest-energy-source/.