Protecting the Environment
"Climate change is real and has serious consequences for our economy, our livelihoods, and our health. You don't have to go any further than communities across Vermont to hear about its early impacts. Just ask the businesses and families wiped out by Tropical Storm Irene. Ask ski lift operators worried about losing their jobs as the season shortens. Or ask sugar makers who are coping with uncertainty over when the season will start and how long it will last. This is a problem that can be solved. If we ignore the costs of carbon pollution, we will lose to other countries America’s advantage in developing the clean energy technologies of the future."
Spotlight on the Environment
Rep. Welch is a leader in the House on initiatives to tackle climate change and protect our environment. As a member of the Safe Climate Caucus and House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, he has taken on climate change skeptics and helped defeat efforts to handcuff the Environmental Protection Agency and gut landmark environmental laws and initiatives such as the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Land and Water Conservation Fund. He is the House leader on energy efficiency, a vocal opponent of the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline, and a strong supporter of a cap and trade system to check carbon emissions.
More on Protecting the Environment
WASHINGTON – Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) introduced a congressional resolution designating the week of June 11 through June 15, 2018 as “High Performance Building Week.” The resolution recognizes that high performance buildings promote water and energy efficiency, protecting natural resources and reducing costs for building occupants.
Late yesterday evening, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved bipartisan legislation authorizing Army Corps of Engineer dam and water projects around the country.
Included in the bill at the request of Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) were two Welch-authored provisions to shore up aging dams around the country. The aging Waterbury Dam in Waterbury, VT would be eligible for refurbishment using these new funds.
Washington, DC – Late yesterday, the House of Representatives unanimously approved legislation authored by Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) and Rep. Richard Nolan (D-MN) that extends 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.
Lawmakers concerned with negative public health impacts, lack of scientific analysis
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.) called on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt to abide by all legal and regulatory requirements as the Trump administration reportedly considers the year-round sale of gasoline with 15 percent ethanol by volume (E15).
Rep. Peter Welch has signed on to a bipartisan letter demanding that the Environmental Protection Agency released a study on the health effects of the chemicals PFOA and PFOS.
WASHINGTON – This afternoon, at a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) sharply questioned Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt on his misuse of taxpayer funds.
(WEDNESDAY, April 25, 2018) — Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.) announced Wednesday that four Vermont organizations will share a total of $1.35 million in Brownfields Program assessment and cleanup grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Brownfields grants allow communities to clean up contaminated properties, facilitating their redevelopment and reuse and improving local economies.
WASHINGTON – Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) is calling for the immediate resignation of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt.
Welch has co-sponsored a House ‘no confidence’ resolution (H.Res. 834) in response to Pruitt’s reported ethics violations, misuse of taxpayer funds, and policy actions that have undermined the agency’s core mission at expense of the environment, public health and science.
A destructive, invasive beetle first confirmed in the state earlier this month, has now been spotted in three other locations according to state officials.
The emerald ash borer, which is responsible for the death of millions of ash trees around the country has now been discovered in Barre, Groton, and Plainfield. It was first detected in Orange. The news has many public and industry officials around the state preparing for what's to come.
RANDOLPH, Vt. – At a press conference this afternoon in Randolph, Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) outlined three actions he is taking to assist the effort to contain the spread of the destructive emerald ash borer in Vermont. The beetle, first discovered in the United States in 2002, targets and kills ash trees by depriving them of their nutrition sources.
Welch was joined at the press conference by Vermont Secretary of Agriculture Anson Tebbetts and state forestry leaders.