Category: US Senate

Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

WASHINGTON–As permitting reform negotiations gain momentum in Congress, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Wednesday sent a letter to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-Dele.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) urging them to prioritize clean transportation infrastructure and litigation reform.

Murphy stressed the urgency of permitting reform to achieve our emissions reduction and climate goals, writing: “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provide the resources and policy grounding to achieve these goals. However, without significant reform to the permitting process, our nation will not be able to realize the promise of these once-in-a-generation legislative achievements.”

Murphy declared that clean transportation infrastructure should be given equal importance to clean energy infrastructure to reduce emissions, writing: “We know that to meet our nation’s decarbonization goals, we must reduce the number of cars on the road. To accomplish this, we have to offer travelers clean, efficient, consumer friendly transportation alternatives—particularly in densely populated areas like those along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. This requires investments in critical transportation infrastructure like passenger rail, public transit, dedicated bus lanes, and transit-oriented development.”

While Murphy recognized the importance of judicial review, he noted that: “The delays caused by unnecessary or frivolous legal challenges have slowed critical clean energy and transportation projects. Some large scale solar and offshore wind projects have been tied up in courts for a decade or more, putting key financing in jeopardy and risking the viability of the projects.”

Last fall, Murphy authored an op-ed with Brad Campbell, president of the Conservation Law Foundation, to make the case for a progressive vision of permitting reform.

Full text of the letter is available here and below.

Dear Chair Carper and Ranking Member Capito,

I write to you today as discussions around the urgent need to reform the permitting process in the United States gain momentum. I support environmentally focused, comprehensive reforms to assist in the vital goal of achieving the Biden Administration’s emissions reduction and climate goals. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provide the resources and policy grounding to achieve these goals. However, without significant reform to the permitting process, our nation will not be able to realize the promise of these once-in-a-generation legislative achievements. I urge you to take two key factors into consideration as these conversation continue.

First, any conversation around permitting reform would be incomplete without a reimagining of the role of litigation. While judicial review is an important tool, the delays caused by unnecessary or frivolous legal challenges have slowed critical clean energy and transportation projects. Some large scale solar and offshore wind projects have been tied up in courts for a decade or more, putting key financing in jeopardy and risking the viability of the projects. As any climate scientist would attest, we can’t afford to wait decades to bring emissions reducing technologies online. We must find a way to preserve the right to judicial review without allowing unnecessary judicial delay on urgently needed projects.

Second, clean transportation infrastructure must be given importance equal to clean energy infrastructure, as you consider legislative pathways to improve the permitting process to quickly reduce emissions. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, transportation sector emissions outpaced energy sector emissions as a percentage of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2021 . 

We know that to meet our nation’s decarbonization goals, we must reduce the number of cars on the road. To accomplish this, we have to offer travelers clean, efficient, consumer friendly transportation alternatives—particularly in densely populated areas like those along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. This requires investments in critical transportation infrastructure like passenger rail, public transit, dedicated bus lanes, and transit-oriented development. While the BIL represents an historic investment in these goals, the current permitting process can be an bigger than necessary obstacle to moving forward quickly on this essential work.

The process of permitting for beneficial transportation projects is subject to many of the same delays and inefficiencies that slow energy projects. These shared issues include uncertain timelines, significant backlogs, and the perpetual threat of time-consuming lawsuits. The solutions must be shared as well. 

I urge you, as discussions progress on legislation to improve the process, to give due consideration and inclusion to solutions that will help facilitate clean transportation projects and address the harmful delays caused by needless litigation. I look forward to supporting these efforts as they move forward.

Sincerely,

###

Source: United States Senator for Colorado Michael Bennet

Watch the Lawmakers’ Virtual Press Conference HERE

Washington, D.C. — Today, Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, and Colorado U.S. Representative Joe Neguse reintroduced the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act. The 2023 CORE Act protects approximately 420,000 acres of public land in Colorado, establishes new wilderness areas, and safeguards existing outdoor recreation opportunities to boost the economy for future generations.

“Colorado’s public lands fuel more than our economy – they are a cornerstone of our way of life. The CORE Act is the result of years of conversation and compromise to boost our economy and protect our public lands for future generations,” said Bennet. “Last year, we achieved a major victory for Colorado’s public lands when we established the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument and secured a proposed administrative mineral withdrawal for the Thompson Divide. But our work is not done. It’s time to pass the CORE Act.”

“The CORE Act is the result of over a decade of hard work and collaboration from Coloradans to protect our lands,” said Hickenlooper. “This bill promotes conservation to combat climate change, invest in our outdoor recreation economy, and protect our public lands for the next generation — let’s get it done!”

“I’m proud to again lead the CORE Act in the House, which is the product of an over a decade-long collaboration between local leaders, ranchers, conservationists and many others. Folks who have come together to create legislation that preserves some of Colorado’s most treasured public lands and boosts our state’s outdoor recreation economy. Last Congress, we had tremendous momentum in our work to enact this bill – including the designation of the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument by President Biden – and I look forward to building on that, and getting this bill passed for the people of Colorado,” said Neguse.

Last year, Bennet, Hickenlooper, and Neguse led the push to establish the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument and secure a proposed administrative mineral withdrawal for the Thompson Divide – critical provisions of the original CORE Act, first introduced in 2019. 

The CORE Act combines four previously introduced Colorado public land bills, which have been in development over the past decade. Of the land protected by the bill, 71,000 acres are designated as new wilderness, and nearly 80,000 acres are designated as new recreation and conservation management areas that preserve existing outdoor uses, such as hiking and mountain biking. The bill also designates the Sandy Treat Overlook and Tenmile Wilderness in the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument, and establishes a permanent mineral withdrawal in areas important to ranchers and sportsmen in the Thompson Divide.

Statements of Support:

“The CORE Act is an example of Coloradans coming together, working together for more than a decade, to permanently protect some of our state’s most treasured places and the future of our outdoor recreation economy and jobs. While we applaud the President’s designation of Camp Hale as a National Monument, the rest of the CORE Act deserves to get across to the President’s desk and its reintroduction this Congress is a key step in that process,” said Colorado Governor Jared Polis.

“Gunnison County has worked for years on the Curecanti and Thompson Divide elements of the CORE Act. We have fought long and hard for the CORE Act because our constituents believe in these sensible public lands protections that are vital to our economy, our values and the enduring opportunity these lands will provide for future generations,” said Jonathan Houck, Gunnison County Commissioner. “For many years, we have worked with diverse stakeholders to develop sensible landscape scale protective measures that match the values of our communities and our desire to see these productive and pristine landscapes thoughtfully protected. We are thankful to Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper and Congressman Neguse for their leadership and persistence on the CORE Act.”

“Now, more than ever, it’s time for the Senate to pass the CORE Act.  We applaud the CORE Act for balancing the needs of wildlife and watershed protections with recreational and other uses of the forest,” said Kathy Chandler Henry, Eagle County Commissioner. “This collaborative legislative process has involved our water providers, conservation and recreational groups, and businesses.  This important bill strengthens Colorado’s recreation economy and is supported by stakeholders throughout the state. The recently-created Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument was an outgrowth of work on the CORE Act, and this treasured landscape helps to preserve and highlight an incredible piece of history and the legacy of the Tenth Mountain Division in Eagle County.  Eagle County thanks Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper and Congressman Neguse for their stewardship of public lands; our grandchildren will be grateful these cherished lands were conserved in Western Colorado.”

“After all these years, we certainly hope the CORE Act can finally pass Congress and be signed into law,” said Scott Fetchenier, San Juan County Commissioner.  “This type of legislation is just what we need to protect our public lands, bolster our recreation based economy, and help prevent climate change.” 

“Summit County is excited to see the CORE Act’s reintroduction with the full support of our Governor and our Congressional delegation Senator Bennet, Senator Hickenlooper and Congressman Neguse who we thank for their leadership and advocacy for our public lands. Public lands are the foundation of our economy in our community and drive our recreation economy. While we are ecstatic about the creation of the new Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument we would still like to see the full CORE Act passed into law to provide the long term protection these lands deserve. ” said Elisabeth Lawrence, Summit County Commissioner.

 “I am grateful to see the CORE Act will be reintroduced by Senator Bennet, Senator Hickenlooper, and Congressman Neguse,” said Greg Poschman, Pitkin County Commissioner. “While it is great to see the administrative mineral withdrawal that our congressional leadership requested for Thompson Divide moving forward, we still need to get the full CORE Act done to provide permanent legislative protection for Thompson Divide. The CORE Act is critical for our economy, our ranching community at Thompson Divide and for the benefit of the growing number of Americans who seek outdoor recreation. Our western United States water supply comes from natural mountainous “Water Towers” like these high country lands in the CORE Act. American prosperity and quality of life depends on protecting our water supplies. This is our time to ensure these public lands are protected for future generations of Americans.”

“Our public lands define and enrich our lives in Colorado and the CORE’s Act proposed protections for some of the most iconic peaks in the San Juan Mountains has long been a priority for San Miguel County. We wholeheartedly support the continued effort by Senator Bennet, Senator Hickenlooper and Congressman Neguse to continue the effort on behalf of our community to pass the CORE Act into law. Protection of our public lands is critical to our wildlife and our economy and we will continue to advocate for Congress to pass this important legislation. We also appreciate and support the new provision added to this bill that will help move us forward to address safety concerns for nordic skiers on Lizard Head pass,” said Lance Waring, San Miguel County Commissioner. 

“The CORE Act is the best example of grassroots stakeholders working together, building consensus, and protecting private property rights I have ever experienced in a public lands bill.  Expanding Sneffels Wilderness to protect one of Colorado’s most sensitive and iconic wild places needs to happen now,” said Lynn Padgett, Ouray County Commissioner. 

“As a rancher who relies on the Thompson Divide for our summer grazing, I am hoping for the passage of the CORE Act. It will bring needed protection to this area which is so critical to my family and fellow ranchers and also for the entire community, who utilizes these amazing lands for hunting and year-round recreation,” said Bill Fales, Cold Mountain Ranch, rancher in the Thompson Divide. “Protection is even more vital today to safeguard the unprecedented levels of use of these USFS lands by the public. Senator Bennet, Senator Hickenlooper and Congressman Neguse have been fantastic in advancing this bill and while we are now making progress on securing additional administrative protections for the Thompson Divide we need to continue to work to get permanent legislative protection through the CORE Act.”

More details about the CORE Act are available HERE.

Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Sheldon Whitehouse

05.17.23

Washington, DC – Today, Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) led the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights in a hearing entitled, “Review of Federal Judicial Ethics Processes at the Judicial Conference of the United States.”  The hearing examined the Judicial Conference’s handling of previous ethics complaints against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas dating back to 2011.

“One month ago, Congressman Hank Johnson and I wrote to the Judicial Conference of the United States, asking it to look at recent reports that Justice Clarence Thomas violated the Ethics in Government Act by failing to disclose gifts of travel and luxury vacations provided by a right-wing billionaire.  The Judicial Conference’s responsibilities under that law are quite clear.  If there is ‘reasonable cause to believe’ that Justice Thomas willfully failed to file, then it must refer him to the Justice Department for investigation,” said Whitehouse.

“This is not a first.  Believe it or not, we’ve been in nearly this exact situation before.  Back in 2011, the nonprofit group Common Cause uncovered that Justice Thomas hadn’t reported years of his wife’s income paid by a right-wing dark-money group.  The New York Times reported that Justice Thomas also had not disclosed gifts of free private jet and yacht travel from the same right-wing billionaire — the same kinds of undisclosed gifts from the same right-wing billionaire that were revealed last month,” added Whitehouse.

Video: Whitehouse Opens Courts Subcommittee Hearing Examining 2011 Ethics Complaints Against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas

In 2011, Justice Thomas’s undisclosed private jet and yacht trips from highly political Republican billionaire Harlan Crow were sent to the Judicial Conference’s Financial Disclosure Committee for a determination as to whether Thomas may have broken the law.  It also came to light during that era that Justice Thomas had for years failed to disclose income his wife received from the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank with frequent business before the Court.

Recent reporting from the Washington Post revealed that in 2012, Leonard Leo, the orchestrator of right-wing influence campaigns around the Supreme Court, directed payments of at least $25,000 to a consulting firm run by Ginni Thomas and asked that her name be left off the paperwork.

In April, bombshell reporting by ProPublica exposed that Justice Thomas and his wife accepted extravagant vacations worth as much as $500,000 on the dime of Harlan Crow and did not disclose the travel.  That report was later followed by an additional ProPublica story detailing Crow’s purchase of a string of properties from Justice Thomas and his family members, which was not properly disclosed.  Further reporting by ProPublica indicates that Crow paid for multiple years of tuition for Justice Thomas’s grandnephew to attend private boarding schools.

Congress created the Judicial Conference through statute and with passage of the Ethics in Government Act, Congress imposed clear financial disclosure and recusal rules that apply to the Supreme Court.

“Congress has a role in making sure that our courts are administering federal ethics laws fairly and as we intended.  If they aren’t, we need a robust record of what has gone wrong and what new laws are needed to fix it,” concluded Whitehouse.

The subcommittee heard witness testimony on Wednesday from the Honorable Mark L. Wolf, Senior Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.  Judge Wolf, a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School, was appointed by President Ronald Reagan and served in the Department of Justice under two Republican administrations.  Judge Wolf served as a member of the Judicial Conference when prior ethics complaints about Justice Thomas were brought to the Conference’s attention more than a decade ago. 

“It is unfortunately relevant to consider these events now.  The [Ethics in Government] Act only serves its vital purpose if the Conference understands and properly performs its role.  I believe that in 2011 and 2012, it did not,” said Judge Wolf.

Judge Wolf continued, “First, despite Congress and the public raising serious allegations, and the Conference referring them to the Committee, it appears that the Committee did little to nothing for at least a year.  The [Financial Disclosure] Committee should have at the very least addressed the allegations at the March 2012 Committee meeting.

“Second, the Committee’s process was opaque.  In 2011, likely through inaction, then in 2012 by insistence, the Committee did not disclose to members of the Conference the allegations, the actions if any it took, and the reasons for any decisions.”

“Third, the statutory mandate for the Conference, and by delegation to the Committee, was to determine whether there was reasonable cause to refer, not the ultimate merits of whether the Justice’s violations were willful.  However, in conversations, letters, and reports, the Committee repeatedly framed its inquiry using the wrong standard.

“As I frequently tell my law clerks, if you address the wrong question, you’re likely to get the wrong answer,” concluded Judge Wolf. 

Video: Judge Mark Wolf Delivers Witness Testimony at Hearing Examining 2011 Ethics Complaints Against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas

“So many of my colleagues on the bench are deeply disturbed themselves,” added Judge Wolf.  “So many of us work so hard to give integrity to the ideal of impartial, equal justice under law.  And now that ideal is beleaguered.”

Last week, Chairman Whitehouse sent a letter to the Judicial Conference urging the body to be more transparent about its procedures for considering potential violations of the law by Supreme Court justices in light of new allegations about Justice Thomas exposed in a series of bombshell reports published by ProPublica.  The Judicial Conference’s response from earlier this week is here.

Video of the full hearing can be found here.  Text of Whitehouse’s as-delivered opening remarks is below, and video of the remarks can be found here.  Judge Wolf’s written testimony can be found here and a video of his testimony can be found here.###

One month ago, Congressman Hank Johnson and I wrote to the Judicial Conference of the United States, asking it to look at recent reports that Justice Clarence Thomas violated the Ethics in Government Act by failing to disclose gifts of travel and luxury vacations provided by a right-wing billionaire.  The Judicial Conference’s responsibilities under that law are quite clear.  If there is “reasonable cause to believe” that Justice Thomas willfully failed to file, then it must refer him to the Justice Department for investigation. 

The Judicial Conference is a statutory body, and the Ethics in Government Act is a federal statute, so this is all very much Congress’s business.  

The Judicial Conference has a Committee on Financial Disclosure.  Our request about the recent Thomas allegations was sent there.  I’ve urged that Committee to act with dispatch, and to provide us information to understand how the process is handled. 

This is not a first.  Believe it or not, we’ve been in nearly this exact situation before.  Back in 2011, the nonprofit group Common Cause uncovered that Justice Thomas hadn’t reported years of his wife’s income paid by a right-wing dark-money group.  The New York Times reported that Justice Thomas also had not disclosed gifts of free private jet and yacht travel from the same right-wing billionaire — the same kinds of undisclosed gifts from the same right-wing billionaire that were revealed last month. 

Then as now, the Ethics in Government Act required Justice Thomas to report these things, and then as now the question was whether there was reasonable cause to believe that Justice Thomas’s omissions were willful, in which case — then as now — referral to the Attorney General is required by law.  

So, the Judicial Conference actions then are the prequel to what is in front of it now.  More than a decade later, we’re just now getting answers to important questions.  Over the past few weeks, I’ve asked the Judicial Conference:  Who was on that Committee?  What was its process and rationale?  What kind of evidence did it consider?  And what were the rules and procedures under which all of this took place?  The Judicial Conference’s recent response is a helpful start, but there is more we need to know about those events. 

We’ll hear today from someone who can help us with pertinent insight into what the Judicial Conference and its Committee on Financial Disclosure did back in 2011.  Judge Mark Wolf was a member of the Judicial Conference in 2011 and 2012, and his experience on the Judicial Conference provides special insight into its normal operations and how the Conference handled the incidents involving Justice Thomas.  Congress has a role in making sure that our courts are administering federal ethics laws fairly and as intended.  If they aren’t, we need a robust record of what has gone wrong and what new laws might be needed to fix it.  Judge Wolf’s testimony will help us build that thoughtful record and we are thankful to him for appearing today.

###

Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)

May 17, 2023

Washington, D.C. – As Oregonians gear up for the Memorial Day holiday weekend, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources today advanced on a bipartisan vote bills authored by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley that would make the outdoors more accessible, support the recreation economy, protect drinking water for thousands of Oregonians, and ensure essential wildfire prevention work.

“Oregon is home to some of the most treasured outdoor spaces in our nation, allowing Oregonians and visitors from all over the world to enjoy hiking, rafting, fishing, and other outdoor adventures,” said Wyden, who is the lead sponsor for the ORE Act and Recreation Not Red Tape Act. “The jobs and money generated by outdoor recreation is essential to many rural economies in Oregon. I’m glad my colleagues on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee agree and decided to protect more of Oregon’s rivers and public lands and make them more accessible. I want to see these bills signed into law and will keep fighting to make that happen.”

“When we come together to protect our state’s natural wonders, we can create jobs, protect resources, grow our economy, and make sure future generations of Oregonians can enjoy our incredible public lands,” said Merkley, who is the lead sponsor of the Smith River National Recreation Area Expansion Act. “Committee passage of these three critical bills is a commonsense win-win-win for our economy, adventurers across the Northwest, and those dedicated to preserving the ecosystems that make Oregon so special.”

The Committee passed the senators’ Oregon Recreation Enhancement (ORE) Act, which would create the Rogue Canyon Recreation Area and the Molalla Recreation Area, expand the Wild Rogue Wilderness Area, and prohibit destructive mining on pristine rivers in Southwestern Oregon. The recreation and wilderness designations would also require forest health, wildfire resiliency, and other wildfire prevention strategies in the region to continue.

It also approved key provisions of the Recreation Not Red Tape Act, including encouraging military branches to inform service members and veterans of outdoor recreation opportunities, making purchasing public land passes and paying fees easier by putting them online, and increasing volunteerism to address the maintenance backlog of America’s public lands.

Additionally, Merkley and Wyden’s legislation to expand the Smith River National Recreation Area to Oregon passed the Committee. The expanded National Recreation Area will include 58,000 acres of the North Fork Smith River watershed including tributaries which contain coho and Chinook salmon, and Coastal Cutthroat trout. In addition, the legislation would task the Forest Service with the preparation of an updated recreation plan identifying specific plans for the entire National Recreation Area, and produce a special study of streams, fens, wetlands, and potentially unstable and vulnerable aquatic habitat areas.

“We’re thrilled to learn that Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley’s Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act got a big bipartisan vote of approval from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today and that it includes a provision to help protect Rough and Ready Creek from mining,” said Barbara Ullian, long time Josephine County resident. “The locally driven effort to protect this botanically-rich beloved wild creek and the clean clear water it provides to the Illinois Valley has spanned decades and our Senators have been there for us throughout.”

“I’ve spent my career floating, photographing, and writing about rivers all across America, and so I know that Oregon’s rivers are some of our nation’s very best,” said Tim Palmer, author of Field Guide to Oregon Rivers (Port Orford, Ore.). “I applaud Senator Wyden for advancing the Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act to protect headwaters of Southwestern Oregon’s outstanding collection of Wild and Scenic rivers, including the Rogue, Illinois and North Fork Smith. These are national treasures that provide outstanding outdoor recreation opportunities – fishing, hiking, boating, and camping—as well as for clean drinking water for communities. Senator Wyden knows that we Oregonians love our rivers!”

“The Wild & Scenic Rogue River has a rich human history to accompany its wild nature, and we would like to thank Senators Wyden and Merkley for getting their Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee,” said Michael Dotson, Executive Director at the Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands Center. “This bill enhances outdoor recreation by establishing two new National Recreation Areas in western Oregon’s public forests, including a new Rogue Canyon National Recreation Area in rural Josephine County. Adjacent to the Rogue, this bill also prioritizes conservation in the Wild & Scenic Illinois and North Fork Smith River watersheds, permanently protecting these waterways from mining threats and mineral speculation. Local communities and bipartisan elected leaders in southwest Oregon have supported these measures to protect clean water and enhance outdoor recreation for residents and visitors alike.”

“The Wild Rivers Coast and rivers like the Smith are legendary among anglers for their steelhead and salmon fisheries,” said Dean Finnerty, NW Regional Director, Angler’s Conservation Project, Trout Unlimited. “This region supports a robust sport fishing economy that is vitally important for many rural communities. Sen. Merkley’s bi-partisan Smith River National Recreation Area Expansion Act is a sensible and timely way to honor the sporting heritage of this region and to conserve the cold, clean, fish-filled waters that are the hallmark of this part of America.”

“Oregon’s North Fork Smith watershed is a botanical treasure and should have always been a part of the Smith River National Recreation Area,” said Joseph Vaile, Climate Director of the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center. “We thank Senator Merkley for introducing this legislation that will also designate many of the North Fork Smith River’s cold-water tributaries as Wild & Scenic. Anyone who has had a chance to explore the remote, primitive backcountry of Oregon’s North Fork Smith headwaters knows that it is one of the most spectacular rivers in the world.”

“The Smith River is recognized as one of the premier salmon strongholds on the West Coast,” said Guido Rahr, President and CEO of the Wild Salmon Center. “We’re grateful to Senators Merkley and Wyden for this investment in wild salmon and the coastal communities that depend on them. Protecting the Smith’s cold, clean flows across the entire watershed will secure this place for people and fish for generations to come.”

The bills now go to the full Senate for consideration.

Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Lankford

---

---

Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)

Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined two of his Veterans’ Affairs Committee colleagues, Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Angus King (I-ME), in introducing a resolution designating June 10 “Vets Get Outside Day.” The legislation aims to encourage veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, depression, anxiety, or other mental health challenges to walk, run, hike, bike, and spend more time outdoors. 

“Fresh air and nature are often the best medicine, and there’s no better place to take advantage of outdoor opportunities than North Dakota,” said Senator Cramer. “To combat veteran suicides, our resolution recognizes the positive impacts nature therapies can have on our veterans.”

“We owe it to the men and women who traveled oceans to protect us to address the veteran suicide crisis,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Vets Get Outside Day is a positive step towards ensuring veterans know they have the help they need available to them.”

“From beach walks to fishing trips to simply hearing a refreshing breeze in the forest, America’s extraordinary outdoor spaces can bring moments of calm during the most difficult times,” said Senator King. “I hope that ‘Vets Get Outside Day’ this year will encourage our veterans to find a relaxing outdoor space near them. It’s a simple way to promote the great outdoors and help these brave men and women who may be struggling with mental health conditions.”

Click here for text of the resolution.

Background:

Last Congress, Senator Cramer successfully led legislation which codified the Solid Start Program, requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) conduct outreach among veterans leaving active-study service to connect them with VA benefits. He also introduced the REMOVE Copays Act, a bipartisan bill to improve veterans’ access to copay-free mental health and substance abuse care through VA and community providers for their first three outpatient visits each year. 

Nearly 460,000 veterans were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries between 2020 and 2022, and there were 6,146 veteran suicide deaths in 2020. Veterans in crisis can dial 9-8-8 and then press 1 to be connected with the Veterans Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Caucus, participated in a fireside chat as part of The Washington Post Live’s Climate, Technology, and Sustainability event yesterday.

At the event, Senator Coons discussed how the historic legislation passed in the last Congress –including the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – is unleashing clean energy production in America, boosting manufacturing, and growing American competitiveness while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Senator Coons also touted the importance of his bipartisan Hydrogen Infrastructure Initiative to support the adoption of clean hydrogen in energy-intensive sectors like shipping, heavy industry, and long-haul trucks, as well as his efforts to pass a border carbon adjustment mechanism that would make American manufacturing more competitive while reducing global emissions.  

Full audio and video available here.

Senator Coons on …

The Inflation Reduction Act: “It’s not just some landmark accomplishment by President Biden. It’s already producing real and concrete impacts on the ground, creating more than 100,000 new clean energy jobs, attracting tens of billions of dollars of private-sector investment – the majority of which, by the way, are going to red states. So, we are seeing foreign auto manufacturers [and] foreign clean energy manufacturers bringing new plants and new projects to the United States. The intersection of the CHIPS and Science Act, the infrastructure bill, and the Inflation Reduction Act is driving a dramatic reshoring or onshoring of advanced manufacturing in the United States. President Biden has been president during the period of the sharpest and most rapid growth of employment in manufacturing.”

A border carbon adjustment mechanism: “One of the things I’m excited about working on is a carbon border adjustment mechanism that allows us to harmonize what the EU is doing on their CBAM. … Ideally, we would end up with a common approach to climate ambition by those economies that, like us, are committed to open societies, to free markets, and we could have a system that welcomes products from any source, ultimately, that is manufactured in a verifiably low-carbon way.”  

Hydrogen investments: “There is a competition underway right now for massive investments by the federal government in a constellation of hydrogen hubs around the country. The point of that competition is to get regions to identify where can they generate hydrogen, how can they distribute it, and who’s going to use it. And the critical question … is who’s going to use it. Part of the legislation that Senator [John] Cornyn [R-Texas] and I have been working to move forward is to accelerate the adoption of hydrogen as a fuel, for example, for long-haul trucks. … Decarbonizing heavy industry … like the production of steel, cement, glass, that are the hardest to decarbonize, are [also] most likely to be decarbonized through the use of hydrogen as an advanced fuel. … So,the incentives in these bills that Senator Cornyn and I hope to move would address many of these: ports, heavy industry, long-haul trucks.”

Permitting reform: “There is a proposal that my senior senator, Tom Carper [D], who’s the Chairman of Environment and Public Works, is putting out – they’re having a hearing this week. There’s a proposal from Senator [Joe] Manchin [D-W.Va.] that’s won some support, both from the administration and Senator [Chuck] Schumer [D-N.Y.]. There’s a proposal led by … Senator [Shelley Moore] Capito [R-W.Va.] and Senator [John] Barrasso [R-Wyo.]. I think the right result is a mix of these. We cannot gut NEPA [National Environmental Policy Act]. … Having a single agency responsible for marshaling the review process and getting to an answer, whether positive or negative – having distinct timelines that agencies are required to follow for their review process – issomething I think there may be some agreement around.”

###

Source: United States Senator for Kansas – Jerry Moran

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) today spoke on the Senate Floor to address the security and humanitarian crisis at the southern border and the consequences of eliminating Title 42.

“Repealing Title 42 without a robust plan of action has left our law enforcement agents with a disastrous situation at the border,” said Sen. Moran. “Our Border Patrol agents and officers are being asked to be caretakers, law enforcement, medical professionals and so much more. The fact of the matter is that our country does not have operational control of the border and will continue to fail to do so if we continue down the current path.”

Click HERE to Watch Sen. Moran’s Full Remarks

# # #