Federal Policy Positions
See below for BAYLI's federal policy positions!
Climate Change
As humans continue to emit dangerous amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, we’re running out of time to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. BAYLI is excited to support the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act and the National Climate Emergency Act.
Introduced in the 117th Congress by Representative Ted Deutch (D-FL) as H.R. 2307, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act would:
Place a fee on greenhouse gas emissions based on their global warming potential
Increase the fee yearly, dependent on whether emissions reduction targets are met
Return revenues to households as a dividend based on the number of adult and minor residents
Provide rebates to the fee for permanent carbon sequestration
Establish a border adjustment for imports and exports affected by the fee
Introduced in the 117th Congress by Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) as H.R. 794, the National Climate Emergency Act would:
Require President Biden to declare a national emergency with respect to climate change
Direct the federal government to mobilize all systems against climate change and prioritize environmental justice goals
Environmental Justice
Introduced in the 117th Congress by Representative Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) as H.R. 2021 and by Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) as S. 872, the Environmental Justice for All Act would:
Prohibit discrimination based on disparate impacts on the basis of race, color, or national origin
Strengthen considerations of environmental justice in Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act permitting
Establish grant programs at a total of $75 million per year for five years to further environmental justice goals
Increase oil and gas leasing fees
Use revenues to revitalize fossil fuel-dependent communities
Introduced in the 117th Congress by Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) as H.R. 861, the Alerting Localities of Environmental Risks and Threats (ALERT) Act would:
Require facilities that leak extremely hazardous materials to notify the surrounding community in a timely public meeting
Require facilities that process extremely hazardous materials to hold annual public meetings
Non-Greenhouse Gas Pollution
Introduced in the 117th Congress by Representative Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) as H.R. 2238 and by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) as S. 984, the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act would:
Shift fiscal responsibility for plastic pollution to corporate polluters
Phase out the use of certain single-use plastic products
Create a nationwide beverage container refund program
Set reuse, recycling, and composting targets with enforcement mechanisms
Introduced in the 116th Congress by Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME) as H.R. 1716 and by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) as S. 778, the Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act, which passed the House last Congress, would:
Require the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association to conduct vulnerability assessments at least once per seven years on ocean acidification’s impacts on coastal communities
Appropriate $2.7 million per year for four years to fund such assessments
The bill has not yet been reintroduced into the 117th Congress, though we are excited to see that similar legislation to invest in research and monitoring of ocean acidification on our coasts has already been introduced this Congress.
Public Lands and Waters
Introduced in the 117th Congress by our own local Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA) as H.R. 610, the San Francisco Bay Restoration Act, which passed the House as H.R. 1132 last Congress, would:
Invest $50 million per year for five years in Bay restoration efforts to supplement local funding
Establish a San Francisco Bay Program Office under the Environmental Protection Agency
Introduced in the 116th Congress by Representative Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) as H.R. 5435, the American Public Lands and Waters Climate Solution Act would:
Require the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service to meet a series of public lands and waters greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, including net-zero by 2040
Pause new fossil fuel leasing, to be continued only if in accordance with an emissions reduction plan
Again pause new fossil fuel leasing if emissions reduction targets are not met
Increase royalties and leasing fees
Use revenues to revitalize fossil fuel-dependent communities
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H.R. 5435 has not yet been reintroduced into the 117th Congress. We look forward to being able to support it or any similar legislation that will be in play and are extremely optimistic about President Biden’s announcement of his plan to pause oil and gas leasing on public lands.
Urban Policy
Introduced in the 117th Congress by Representative Seth Moulton (D-MA) as H.R. 1845, the the American High-Speed Rail Act would:
Invest $41 billion per year for five years into high-speed rail planning, technology, and corridor development to help build a national high-speed rail system
Incentivize state and local governments and private partners to assist in the system’s funding and creation
Expand state and local transportation planning metrics to include focuses such as environmental impacts
Introduced in the 116th Congress by Representative Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) as H.R. 8021, the Green Neighborhoods Act would:
Require the Department of Housing and Urban Development to establish energy efficiency incentive programs for housing and nonresidential structures
Ensure energy efficiency is taken into account in federal mortgage underwriting processes
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This bill did not pass committee during the 116th Congress. We hope to see similar legislation to accomplish the same crucial goals introduced in the 117th Congress, and should that happen, we will throw our support behind it.
Cosponsorship
We’re excited that some of our Bay Area Representatives are already being environmental heroes by signing on as cosponsors on several of the above bills:
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H.R. 2307 (Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act): Eshoo, Lee
H.R. 794 (National Climate Emergency Act): DeSaulnier, Huffman, Khanna
H.R. 2021/S. 872 (Environmental Justice for All Act): Khanna, Lee,, Padilla (Senate)
H.R. 2238/S. 984 (Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act): DeSaulnier, Eshoo, Huffman, Khanna, Lee, Feinstein (Senate)
H.R. 1716/S. 778 (Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act) (116th Congress): Huffman
H.R. 610 (San Francisco Bay Restoration Act): DeSaulnier, Eshoo, Huffman, Khanna, Lee, Lofgren, Pelosi, Speier, Thompson
We thank these Representatives for their support of these key pieces of environmental legislation and strongly urge our other Representatives to join them in their support.