Alex Padilla U.S. Senator for California

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined a group of lawmakers and advocates at a press conference to celebrate the five-year anniversary of the introduction of the Green New Deal. Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), along with U.S. Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.-14), Cori Bush (D-Mo.-01), Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.-07), and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.-17), also delivered remarks.

The Green New Deal has influenced major climate action victories over the past five years, including the historic Inflation Reduction Act, which contains $369 billion for energy security, environmental justice, climate change programs, and Western drought relief.

“In the five years since the introduction of the Green New Deal, the American people have made their voices heard and their impact felt — and we listened, passing the largest investment in history to combat climate change,” said Senator Padilla. “But the deadly atmospheric river storms and wildfires that have devastated California communities in recent years serve as a stark reminder that we can never get complacent, especially as Republican leaders threaten to roll back our progress. Over these next five years and beyond, we must meet the scale of this crisis head on.”

Rising climate change threats continue to impact California and the planet, including the atmospheric river that has flooded California since last week. In 2023, California experienced more than 30 atmospheric river storms followed by the hottest summer on record. At the same time, eight of the ten largest wildfires in California history have occurred in the last seven years. Across the country, weather and climate disasters cost the U.S. nearly $93 billion in damages, and the planet is fast approaching the dangerous 1.5 degrees Celsius global warming threshold.

Senator Padilla is determined to fight the existential threat of climate change. He has supported impacted communities and fought to secure millions of dollars in federal funding for flood control infrastructure to protect communities from catastrophic floods and rising sea levels. Last year, he secured provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act to help combat wildfires and flooding. He has also consistently pushed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to finalize the strongest possible Phase 3 heavy-duty vehicles emissions rule, in line with California’s stricter standards. Padilla’s POWER ON Act, which will help prevent utility outages caused by natural disasters like wildfires and other extreme weather events, was signed into law by President Biden. As California continues to face the threat of devastating wildfires, he also led the successful passage of the FIRE Act to modernize the way FEMA prepares for and responds to wildfires.

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