Energy and Environment

Oregonians know the value of our natural resources. Our arable farmlands, forests and grasslands, fisheries, and waterways are essential to the state’s economic and environmental prosperity.

Throughout my career, I’ve sought to champion and protect Oregon’s unique environment, while also finding ways to help our state thrive in a new, cleaner economy. I’ve worked directly with some of the state’s leading environmental advocacy groups and, in the Oregon Legislature, I led and cosponsored legislation aiming to protect children from toxic chemicals, incentivize solar power and electric vehicles, and lower utility costs in low-income communities.

Now, as a member of the 119th Congress and of the Sustainable Energy & Environment Coalition (SEEC), I’m leveraging my assignments to the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology to advance commonsense environmental and energy legislation. As Co-Chair of the SEEC Task Force on Innovation and Technology, I’m leading efforts to advance cutting-edge technologies that address the most pressing challenges in our energy system and the environment: transitioning to clean energy, improving reliability, increasing wildfire resiliency, and keeping costs under control.

Oregon communities have already dealt with some of the worst impacts of climate change, from massive wildfires to devastating ice storms. As your representative, I am committed to advancing policies that will bolster Oregon’s resilience against extreme weather impacts and mitigate further climate disruption. I introduced the Civilian Conservation Center Enhancement Act, a bill that would support specialized training for wildland fire, forestry, and rangeland management — and cut the bureaucratic red tape associated with the Forest Service’s hiring of wildland firefighters. I also sponsor the Roadless Area Conservation Act, which would permanently protect 58.5 million acres of the most pristine and treasured areas within the National Forest System. These are critically important ecosystems, which also serve as critical tools to address climate change and offer important recreational, economic and cultural resources.