Will The House Dems Let Us Down... On Climate Change?

On Friday at dawn, Politico published an interview with Kathy Castor chair of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis behind a paywall. Is she going to be a force for good or another foot-dragging corporatist who inadvertently helps destroy humanity? I know what she thinks (and what Pelosi thinks and what the corpus of the establishment Democratic Party thinks, but... are they doing enough... will they? Or is the Select Committee a sop to all those noisy, idealistic freshmen whose energy needs to be channeled away from congressional power centers? We don't know yet... but I'm very pessimistic. Will Castor and the party leaders try luring Climate Change activists among the freshmen onto this debating society to drain their energy?

Pelosi's first bill, HR 1, is an ethics bill, but not one strong enough to offend the corrupt slimebags-- think Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, one of Congress' most corrupt members-- in her caucus. And she's promised Pramila Jayapal for hearings on Medicare for All. That's good... a start. Will the Democrats be able to deliver? No.

With Democrats ascendant in the House, they’re poised to make climate change a front-burner issue-- and Castor in many ways will help shape the party’s agenda. While the panel she’s leading doesn’t have the ability to pass legislation, she views its role as holding other committees accountable and pressing them to go further and faster.

Castor said she wants to ensure the amped up freshman class is represented on the committee, has already spoken with Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) about ways to work together and plans to hold field hearings to highlight localized impacts from climate change.

There's obviously been a lot said about what others would like the committee to be. What is your vision for what the select committee will accomplish?

I would like to have a blend of experience and new freshman members. Their transformative energy [that] they’re bringing to the Congress, it must be reflected on the climate crisis select committee.

How quickly are you looking to fill those lawmaker slots and where will you be drawing your staff from?

We're accepting some resumes, but I'm looking for scientists. I’m looking for folks who understand public policy. Maybe some people who have experience with the precursor to the New Green Deal, back when we did the Recovery Act and we did [the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009], because within those there are kind of the fundamental building blocks for what we have to do for drastic reductions in carbon pollution.

What do you make of the basic outlines of the Green New Deal and what do you say to progressives disappointed with how the committee is structured in the end?

They shouldn't be. This is a select committee on the climate crisis that is the spirit of the New Green Deal. When you look at the New Green Deal, they’re terrific general proposals and language. Our job now is to take that and put it into action: through law, through appropriations. The mechanics of that will be very labor intensive.

You said who should come onto this committee? It will be people who are ready to work very diligently. We simply don’t have time to delay.

What's the select committee's role in policy formation?

We're going to be a focal point for pressing for action. I know it’s been criticized we don't have legislative authority. I would have liked to have had legislative authority-- I asked the leadership for subpoena power and legislative authority. But in our discussions now, we will be the focal point for pressing all the committees to act.

For example, the Energy and Commerce Committee: They have such a huge portfolio-- I know, I’m on there. We’re going to be a group of members who are pressing them to have hearings and markups that need to put the carbon reduction policies into action, into law.

And what might that dynamic look like?

Particularly on the subpoena power part. [Now-Sen] Ed Markey, the previous select committee chair, they only used the subpoena power once. We’re going to work very closely with the standing committees if we ever need to subpoena anything. I’m not sure yet [if we will].

It's very apparent the damage that the Trump administration is doing. There’s no secret to that. But this committee is going to be one that is going to press right away for [strengthened] fuel economy standards to challenge the Trump administration. I would foresee us passing a bill on that fairly early on in the Congress, so you have to work with E&C on that. Appropriations will be very important. Back to the Recovery Act-- remember the investments we put in for ARPA-E and for energy efficiency grants back to local communities.

I also want to committee to highlight the good work that’s being done in ... cities and towns all around the country. Since we know the Trump administration and the GOP Senate are going [to be] kind of a roadblock to very dramatic action, we want to highlight what’s being done in Republican communities and Democratic communities across the country where they are reducing carbon dramatically.

Obviously the Democratic caucus is pretty diverse. There are some members who come from more fossil fuel producing states. How do you make sure you don’t leave anybody behind in the conversation?

You know, that's one thing I appreciate about the general framework of the Green New Deal is the emphasis on making sure vulnerable communities are not saddled with the cost of the changing climate and the cost of action. We’re going to probably go to some communities that are not traditional-- they’re not going to be Democratic bastions. There’s a huge impact in agricultural communities around the country. We’ve got to tell that story.

What are you hoping from your Republican colleagues, or the type of Republican that gets added to the committee?

Folks who are ready to work, who are ready to roll up their sleeves. I’m very hopeful that-- that’s one of the reasons we will go to those districts and those communities because nothing moves a member of Congress more than their local community pressing them for action. And I hope that we can build some bridges with our Republican colleagues in the Senate and maybe even in the White House. But that’s no easy task. That’s why we gave the American people-- we need folks who understand we have a moral obligation to our kids and future generations to press them as well.

What is your stance on climate and what makes you passionate about this issue? What made you step up and take this committee on?

Coming from the Tampa Bay area in Florida, I feel like my state has been in the bull's-eye of extreme weather events, of massive cost increases because the climate is changing, of higher air conditioning bills, higher property insurance bills, more of our property taxes are being diverted to infrastructure investments in adaptation, flood insurance. Think about the massive, multi-billion dollar bills we have passed here in the Congress after a hurricane, wildfire or flood. I have young daughters-- it’s one of the reasons I came to Congress, to fight for a clean and healthy environment. And now what we have on our doorstep is so much more significant than when I started in public service as an environmental attorney for the state of Florida right out of law school. It is defense of our country, the way of life as we know it.

How much do you envision the committee will take on the companies behind fossil fuel production and greenhouse gas emissions?

Head on. Head on. And you know, we want to highlight the businesses that are eliminating carbon, the businesses that understand that maybe a little energy efficiency here is good. But we’ve got to press them to do so much more. We’re going to highlight the good actors and we are going to shine a very bright light on the polluters, the ones that are emitting the largest amount of greenhouse gases and press for a clean energy economy. And it’s a tall order but I think the American people are behind it and we simply don’t have time to wait.

How do you do that in a way that sounds positive, that can maintain a big tent Democratic Party?

Sitting on the floor during the swearing-in was pretty remarkable-- looking at all the kids from the most diverse racially and gender, religious Congress here. And there’s kind of an unspoken understanding among all of the members in the Democratic caucus especially and some of the Republicans that we simply cannot wait any longer.

The Congress has been so out of touch with the type of action that we need. And now we have this transformative freshman class that’s going to push us to take action and we simply have got to defend our way of life and not go backwards. It’s so frustrating. And I think that’s the message the American people sent. They watched the Trump administration go backwards, they watched a president who says, “Oh, I don’t know about climate, it may change back.” I mean, the people know that’s just ignorance.