Protecting the Planet
Combating climate change is the greatest challenge of our time. Peter is taking on climate change deniers in Congress and fighting for policies that transition America to a clean energy economy.
- Enact a carbon tax or cap and trade system to cut greenhouse gas emissions
- Establish an aggressive renewable energy and energy efficiency standard
- Invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy to create jobs, lower energy bills, and cut greenhouse gas emissions
- Overturn the destructive rollback of landmark environmental laws, regulations, and climate change initiatives
More on Protecting the Planet
Washington, DC – Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) along with Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.) has reintroduced in the new Congress legislation to extend the North Country National Scenic Trail from Crowne Point, NY into Addison County, linking it to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail via Vermont’s Long Trail. Both the Senate and the House are expected to approve public lands legislation that incorporates Welch’s bill, clearing the way for President Trump to sign it into law.
Vermont Representative Peter Welch tweeted his support for a measure to push job creation and environmental sustainability — a plan championed by one of the Democratic Party's youngest rising stars.
The proposal backed by Representative-Elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has been termed the "Green New Deal." The name references President Franklin D. Roosevelt's initiatives during the 1930s to restore jobs to American workers and help the country get back on its feet after the 1929 stock market crash.
WASHINGTON – Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) today introduced bipartisan legislation to improve the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) by increasing the transparency and ensuring the accountability of its funding program. Since 1991, the Recreational Trails Program has provided funding to states to develop and maintain outdoor recreational trails, allowing millions of Americans and their families to enjoy activities such as hiking, bicycling, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and 4-wheel driving.
Vermont will soon be able to apply for up to $40 million in federal funding for projects to repair three aging flood control dams, after the Senate passed the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 overwhelmingly on Wednesday.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in the Senate, and Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., in the House, authored an amendment that raised funding for dam repair from $10 million to $40 million in the new bill.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) announced Wednesday that Congress passed legislation that opens the door for Vermont to receive federal funds to repair three aging flood control dams. The America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 includes an amendment authored by Sanders in the Senate and Welch in the House that authorizes safety improvements at certain state-owned flood control dams constructed by the federal government before 1940.
Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Steve Womack (R-Ark) released the following statement on President Trump’s proposal to lift a federal ban on summer sales of gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol:
BURLINGTON, Vt., Aug. 7 – Vermont’s congressional delegation announced on Tuesday a combined $18.97 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to Vermont’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF).
The CWSRF program is a federal-state partnership that provides communities a permanent, independent source of low-cost financing for a wide range of water quality infrastructure projects. The DWSRF is a federal-state partnership to help ensure safe drinking water.
Burlington, Vt. – Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) issued the following statement on the Trump administration’s proposal to gut longstanding federal policy that reduces vehicle emissions harmful to the environment and block Vermont and other states from imposing emission standards stricter than the federal government:
WASHINGTON – Late last evening, the House of Representatives approved a bipartisan amendment authored by Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to appropriate $8.4 million in fiscal year 2019 for the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP). The House Appropriations Committee had recommended a funding level of just $4.4 million.
Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) issued the following statement in reaction to the resignation this afternoon of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt:
“It’s about time. Pruitt’s tenure has been an abomination. His legacy will be one of arrogance, misuse of taxpayer funds, and dismantlement of EPA’s core mission to protect the air we breathe and the water we drink.”
Rep. Welch called for Pruitt’s resignation on April 18, 2018. He is a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
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