Dear Friend,
When I came to Washington, I promised to take the voices of Orange County residents with me. That’s why I hosted dozens of community events during the August district work period—to hear from people like you, so that I can advocate for the issues our community values.
At townhalls and Coffee with Katie events, I heard directly from members of our community who told me they’re concerned that we aren’t doing enough to protect our environment. I participated in a roundtable with environmental advocates at the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary, a constructed wetland right here in the 45th District. We discussed the urgent need for Congressional action on climate, including reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and curbing offshore oil drilling to protect our coastline.
I’m pleased to share that I’ve joined my House colleagues to take concrete actions to address climate change. We passed three bills that would ban new offshore drilling and development, including along our beautiful California coasts. With vibrant beaches in Orange County just a short drive from our district, protecting our water and air is a top priority of mine in Congress. We must protect our environment for our children, for our culture of outdoor recreation, and for our local businesses that rely on tourism.
This is an important step, but it’s not enough. Earlier this year, I introduced the Clean Corridors Act of 2019 with fellow California Representatives Harley Rouda and Mark DeSaulnier. This law would establish a program to install electric and hydrogen fueling stations along our nation’s highways and help lower carbon emissions. With over 21,000 clean jobs and a top-notch public university in our district, investments in clean technology through legislation like the Clean Corridors Act benefit both our environment and our local economy.
I’ve toured local businesses here in the 45th District such as esVolta, an energy storage company with a facility in Irvine. esVolta stores excess energy for later use and discharges the stored energy when demand outpaces supply. Energy storage is a key piece of maintaining the electricity grid and will help us better harness green technologies.
Our district is also home to incredible clean technology innovation, which I was honored to recognize in a bipartisan-supported amendment to the Climate Action Now Act. That legislation would keep the international commitment we made to fighting climate change in the Paris Climate Agreement. I was proud to vote in favor of the Climate Action Now Act as it passed the House.
In addition, I’ve helped introduce a bill that would block the Trump Administration’s harmful attempts to gut the Endangered Species Act and roll back federal protections that help preserve our local wildlife. During my environmental roundtable, I was able to learn about wildlife corridors in the 45th District, which allow wildlife to travel across freeways and developments to get to other open spaces.
As a member of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition Caucus, I am committed to continuing this conversation on ways we can protect the environment and preserve our many beautiful landscapes and ecosystems. Climate change is real, and as your Representative in Congress, I will continue to lead the charge to stop it.
Very truly yours,
Representative Katie Porter
Member of Congress
