SECONDNEXUS
percolately
georgetakei
comicsands
George's Readskathy castor
Top stories
Nancy Pelosi Just Revealed the Provocative New Name of Democrats' New House Committee on Climate Change, and People Are So Here For It
Words matter.
Incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Friday announced the creation of a new Congressional panel dedicated to tackling the accelerating threat of climate change.
The Select Committee on the Climate Crisis will be chaired by Congresswoman Kathy Castor (D-FL), Pelosi wrote on Twitter.
"It is with great enthusiasm that I appoint @USRepKCastor as the Chair of our new Select Committee on the Climate Crisis," Pelosi tweeted. "We know she will bring great experience, energy & urgency to confronting this existential threat."
It is with great enthusiasm that I appoint @USRepKCastor as the Chair of our new Select Committee on the Climate Cr… https://t.co/i182OYTzs5— Nancy Pelosi (@Nancy Pelosi) 1546014891.0
In a statement, Pelosi lauded Castor as "a proven champion for public health and green infrastructure, who deeply understands the scope and seriousness of this threat."
Castor's "experience, energy, and urgency to the existential threat of the climate crisis... will be critical," Pelosi said, in getting Congress "to respond to the urgency of this threat, while creating the good-paying, green jobs of the future."
Pelosi emphasized the need to protect public health "by reducing air pollution, create jobs by making America preeminent in green technologies, defend our national security by preventing climate-driven instability and uphold our sacred moral responsibility to leave a healthy, sustainable future for generations to come.”
You can read Pelosi's full statement here.
The committee's name is generating quite a bit of excitement... and urgency.
House Dems established a new select committee on the “climate crisis” on Friday. Its name shows how much energy p… https://t.co/QnPHZFlp5j— Robinson Meyer (@Robinson Meyer) 1546021250.0
The change reflects a need for immediate action that some have been supporting for years.
@leowulv climate crisis would be fitting. Maybe 🏖? :)— Kristoffer Tjalve (@Kristoffer Tjalve) 1545767006.0
Finally, Congress may be taking meaningful steps to address the threat posed by the global climate crisis.
"there's no difference between the two parties" - some dumbass https://t.co/j8GpgFMcrW— Oliver Willis (@Oliver Willis) 1542129929.0
@NancyPelosi @USRepKCastor https://t.co/nYZjBQ8Q5K— Scott Dworkin (@Scott Dworkin) 1546016770.0
@NancyPelosi @USRepKCastor Thank you.— Debbie Dease (@Debbie Dease) 1546018929.0
@NancyPelosi @USRepKCastor I hope the energy she brings to confronting this threat is renewable!— Jess Winfield (@Jess Winfield) 1546021052.0
@NancyPelosi @USRepKCastor I feel hopeful that your leadership can help us out of this awful mess!— Catawba River (@Catawba River) 1546017527.0
Twitter approves of Pelosi's Castor pick.
@rhonda_harbison @NancyPelosi @USRepKCastor She is amazing!— Scott Dworkin (@Scott Dworkin) 1546023202.0
@NancyPelosi @USRepKCastor Excellent choice— Jo Beth Griffin (@Jo Beth Griffin) 1546018004.0
@NancyPelosi @USRepKCastor SHE 😍🙌🏼😏— kathy kennedy (@kathy kennedy) 1546015757.0
@NancyPelosi @USRepKCastor She damn well better, and I’m on @TeamPelosi. No waffling, no hedging. No GOP-funded car… https://t.co/5Po7JBVy2s— Eli$e’s Oath of Office (@Eli$e’s Oath of Office) 1546017881.0
@NancyPelosi @USRepKCastor Cathy Castor - snipe hunting enthusiast!— Herbert Shanahan (@Herbert Shanahan) 1546017926.0
Like any new endeavor on Capitol Hill, however, Pelosi's move is not without some controversy.
Some are wondering about the fate of the "Green New Deal," which has been proposed by Congressional freshman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), a rising star on the left.
@NancyPelosi @USRepKCastor #GreenNewDeal supporter??? I sure hope so.— Jason_M - ForThoseWhoWantIt🌹🏁 (@Jason_M - ForThoseWhoWantIt🌹🏁) 1546016604.0
@The_JasonM @NancyPelosi @USRepKCastor You heard about the "green new deal" a minute ago & now you act like it is a… https://t.co/WCv4cPMJCc— (((antiantisemite))) (@(((antiantisemite)))) 1546017193.0
@NancyPelosi @USRepKCastor I hope the GREEN NEW DEAL has a place in her agenda.— CommanderKira (@CommanderKira) 1546015900.0
Representatives that have ties to big oil will be allowed to serve on the committee, which does not sit well with environmental defenders.
@NancyPelosi @USRepKCastor Better than most in congress. Still took $330,000 from corporate PAC's but "only" $10,50… https://t.co/HVb6elJ07Z— R. (Bob) Sanchez (@R. (Bob) Sanchez) 1546016234.0
Others want Ocasio-Cortez on the committee too.
@NancyPelosi @USRepKCastor Why we not letting @Ocasio2018 run point on this?— Tom Sawyer 🌹 (@Tom Sawyer 🌹) 1546015100.0
Earlier this month, Castor assured liberals that the committee "is in the spirit of the Green New Deal." She told The Hill: "There’s some fabulous proposals in the Green New Deal, and I’m excited about all that. You may see some similar language. Clearly, the focuses are going to be the same."
Castor also said that "the committee should have legislative authority and should have subpoena power" and that the committee's authority "has been negotiated with the standing committee chairs, and we’re going to work together.”