As a freshman member of the U.S. House of Representatives, I have dedicated my career to serving the people of California’s 37th Congressional District. Severe flooding and mudslides have affected Los Angeles county over the last month, leaving thousands without power and hundreds of others trapped by treacherous conditions.
Los Angeles County is home to almost 10 million people, who now stand directly on the frontlines of a life reshaped by climate change.
The floods ravaging my county are historic, but we are no stranger to the destruction and dispossession that climate change brings. From wildfires to floods to landslides, as well as insurance companies rapidly pulling out of our region due to the increased risk of destruction, my constituents grow more impacted each year. Dion Peronneau is just one of my constituents who was affected by one of these natural disasters: a devastating mudslide came through the glass door in her bedroom and covered her entire backyard. She’s committed to staying in her home, even though her insurance won’t cover the damage. I’m equally committed to fighting for her needs and ensuring that every constituent has the right to a safe home.
It is also my duty as a congresswoman to look up from my community and see how our nation can swiftly reduce this climate burden placed on all our people. As vice ranking member of the Natural Resources Committee and a proud member of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, I am always looking for ways to promote clean energy, protect vulnerable communities, and address the climate crisis.
I co-sponsored the Environmental Justice for All Act, which would establish environmental justice requirements for federal agencies to address the disproportionate impact of climate change on Black communities and communities of color, low-income communities, and indigenous communities. I also introduced the CLEAN Energy Act, which would eliminate the tie between clean energy and fossil fuel development so that we can utilize clean energy without increasing harmful pollution or placing environmental justice communities in harm’s way.
These priorities are why I am committed to helping the Biden administration meet the requirements of the America the Beautiful initiative, which will restore, connect and conserve 30 percent of America’s lands and waters by 2030. We may not see the impacts of this bill immediately. Still, I know this will directly impact our ability to build climate resilience and develop a model for future protections. And those are the impacts I’m working toward.
The America the Beautiful initiative couldn’t be more timely; according to the Center for American Progress, America is losing one football field’s worth of natural areas every 30 seconds, at a time when we desperately need to protect large portions of the country to meet our climate goals. One spectacular place this administration can accomplish this feat at a landscape level — perhaps the only place where President Biden can do so at such a scale — is in America’s Arctic.
Last September, the Biden administration announced a suite of actions to protect diverse landscapes across America’s Arctic, recognizing the importance of Alaska’s public lands and waters for communities, biodiversity and our global climate. This included strengthening protections and durability for 13 million acres in the Western Arctic and the cancelation of all remaining oil and gas leases that were issued under former President Donald Trump’s illegal leasing program in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
With the impending finalization of both the Western Arctic and Arctic Refuge regulations, there has never been a more important time to speak up in support of these sweeping protections and ask that we continually push ourselves to go further.
However, not all of my colleagues see these connections between America’s Arctic and our own communities we are committed to serving. Late last year, the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources voted to advance Rep. Pete Stauber’s “Alaska’s Right to Produce Act of 2023.” If passed into law, this bill would not only reverse the recent safeguards the Biden administration put in place to protect more than 10 million acres of the Western Arctic and prevent 125 million acres of the Arctic Ocean from being opened to drilling, but it would also undo the cancelation of the illegally held leases in the Arctic Refuge. Any one of these provisions would be disastrous for the chance to meet our climate goals.
Not only must we keep these protections in place, we must also expand our vision for what increasing protections for America’s Arctic can achieve — for all Americans. We have been presented with an exceptional opportunity to weave climate resilience into our national fabric and meet our climate commitments to our constituents. This is a critical moment. We cannot afford to turn back the clock on the progress we’ve already made.
Sydney Kamlager-Dove represents California’s 37th Congressional District; she serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and as vice ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee.