Karen Frantz
GHG Monitor
1/31/2014
One of Congress’s most formidable crusaders against climate change, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), announced late this week that he has decided not to seek re-election at the end of the year. “Today, I am announcing that I have run my last campaign,” Waxman said in a Jan. 30 statement. “I will not seek reelection to the Congress and will leave after 40 years in office at the end of this year. As I reflect on my career, I am filled with gratitude. I am grateful for the support of my constituents, who have entrusted me to represent them and encouraged me to become a leader on national and international issues. I am grateful for my supporters and allies, who have worked side-by-side with me to fight for issues we care about: health, environmental protection, women’s and gay rights, and strengthening the ties between the United States and our most important ally, the State of Israel.”
Waxman has emerged over the last several years as a prominent advocate for placing limits on carbon emissions, with one of his most well-known endeavors a bill he crafted alongside Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) that would have created a national cap-and-trade program, among several other ambitious initiatives. The bill, which also would have invested $60 billion in carbon capture and storage, passed the House in 2009 but died in the Senate. But in his statement announcing his retirement, Waxman called on the President to act where Congress has not. “The President has laid out a plan to reduce emissions by 17% by 2020, the goal we set in the House legislation,” he said. “And he is working with other nations to set an ambitious target for post-2020 reductions. Whether Congress acts or not, the Clean Air Act gives President Obama–and future Presidents–ample authority to achieve these emission reductions.”
