Virginia needs Congress to help in fighting climate change
Here in Norfolk, you don’t have to look far to see the impacts of climate change. Rising seas are a threat to daily life here. The road I drive to get to City Hall is flooded several days a month, even on sunny days.
Based on scientific modeling, we conservatively anticipate sea levels to rise 1.5 feet by 2050 and 5 feet by 2100. Add to that the recent “rain bombs” and increased precipitation due to climate change, and you have the perfect storm, quite literally.
During these events, our roads are impassable. And the main arteries to access the world’s largest naval base are under water, affecting our nation’s readiness to threat. Moreover, the third largest port on the east coast is difficult to access, meaning people can’t get their food and products throughout the state and beyond.
Climate change is simply an inescapable part of daily life here, and without the swift action we need at the federal level, things will only get worse — not only for residents of Hampton Roads, but for all who depend on the port and the nation’s military readiness.
This past November, the U.S. House passed the Build Back Better Act, which dedicates more than a half-trillion dollars to combat climate change, cut pollution and expand clean energy — the largest effort to address the climate crisis in our nation’s history.
Sadly, the Senate has yet to pass this landmark bill. Our message from Norfolk is simply this: We are running out of time and inaction is not an option.
Passing the Build Back Better Act will lead to billions of dollars of investments in Virginia that will help front-line communities such as Hampton Roads become more resilient, while also cutting pollution, and creating the clean energy jobs of the future.
Today, more than 97,000 Virginians are employed by the clean energy industry, and companies are now looking to the commonwealth as the place to invest and grow their operations in the clean-energy sector.
With plans to build the largest offshore wind farm in America off Virginia’s coast, Siemens Gamesa recently announced a $200 million investment in Virginia to build wind turbine blades, a project that will support more than 300 good-paying jobs here in Hampton Roads and position us to be a leader in renewable energy manufacturing on the East Coast, creating thousands of supply chain jobs in the process.
With passage of the Build Back Better Act, projects like this will continue to take root here in Virginia, while also protecting and investing in the communities hit hardest by pollution in climate change.
Nearly $27 billion is on the table for states such as Virginia to expand clean energy, cut carbon pollution and help vulnerable communities, including investments such as:
■ $7 billion to bring clean energy projects, and the jobs that come with them, to disadvantaged communities;
More than $6 billion in home energy efficiency rebates — efforts that will save households money while cutting energy consumption;
■ $3 billion to advance electric vehicle infrastructure.
■ $3.6 billion to cut air pollution at ports, airport, railways and schools.
■ $5 billion in competitive grants for states with plans in place to reduce emissions.
This all adds up to a win-win for our environment and our economy, and these investments will not cost the middle-class a single penny. Instead, the super wealthy and corporations are being asked to pay their fair share after years of a tax structure that’s benefited the few at the expense of the many.
I’m incredibly proud of our Reps. Bobby Scott and Elaine Luria for supporting this ambitious package, and I urge our U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner to follow suit in the Senate. Too much is at stake for continued gridlock and inaction.
Between just 2010 and 2020, the commonwealth experienced 40 extreme weather events, which generated $100 billion in damage. We simply can’t afford to wait on climate action. The future of our city, our region and the commonwealth depend on it.