Huffman introduces climate plan
North Coast U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman joined several other members of Congress on Tuesday to announce a climate action plan that includes a host of bills to boost sustainable energy production and cut emissions.
The 500-page proposal includes a large handful of climate-related bills, calling for timely legislative action on them. A number of Huffman’s own bills are in the plan, including the creation of a “wildfire defense” grant program (HR 5091), which the congressman introduced in November.
At a news conference Tuesday with other U.S. representatives, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Huffman said Northern California’s ranchers and farmers are “ready to be part of the solution”
to the climate crisis.
“While we’re doing all these other things … to slash emissions and stop producing the greenhouse gas emissions that are overheating the planet, we’ve got farmers and ranchers ready to work on the other side of the equation — to start drawing down carbon,” Huffman said.
The report calls on Congress to “dramatically increase funding for climatesmart agricultural activities” to support farmers and ranchers who work sustainably.
Among the proposal’s goals is a target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. California is already looking to reach net-zero emissions by 2045. The report calls for solar energy expansion, as well as large and small wind-energy projects.
In February, Huffman had declined to comment on the energy company Terra-Gen’s failed proposal last year to build wind turbines in Humboldt County, which had produced enormous controversy among local residents wary of TerraGen’s ties to private equity.
The report notes that a gap in government-led funding efforts has allowed the private sector to dominate the financing of energy projects.
“The United States and the world cannot allow the COVID-19 crisis to delay these investments to develop and deploy the technologies needed to decarbonize the economy by midcentury and avert another global crisis,” the report states.
Huffman said natural ecosystems could also play a role against climate change by buffering the rise of sea levels and mitigating extreme weather conditions.
“It’s the ultimate twofer,” Huffman said. “Some of these natural systems can draw down carbon while providing greater resilience for coastal communities.”
Last year, Huffman introduced a bill (HR 2250) to protect hundreds of thousands of acres of Northern California wilderness from mining and logging.
Huffman’s office did not immediately respond to a request for a follow-up interview to Tuesday’s press conference.