Climate change is an imminent threat to our country and our planet, and we must take immediate action to address it. As a state legislator, I voted to support clean energy alternatives, halt fracking, and implement measures to reduce emissions in North Carolina. In Congress, I was proud to vote to pass the Build Back Better Act, in part because it represents an unprecedented effort to combat the climate crisis. This transformational legislation will reduce carbon pollution, bolster community resilience, and strengthen the American clean energy economy. 

In addition, I am an original cosponsor of the Defend Our Coast Act, which will protect the coasts of North Carolina from being leased for exploration, development, and production of oil or gas. I also cosponsored the Arctic Refuge Protection Act, a bill to permanently protect the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil and gas drilling.

Further, I led a bipartisan effort to urge the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to lease offshore wind energy areas off the coast of North Carolina. Our state is particularly well-positioned to meaningfully contribute to the offshore wind industry, ranking first among east coast states in both technical potential for offshore wind generation capacity and manufacturing workforce. I continue to push for passage of the Restoring Offshore Wind Opportunities Act to overturn former President Trump’s 10-year moratorium on offshore wind energy leasing off our coast, set to take effect in 2022. 

Original source can be found here.