I have spent my career fighting to preserve our air, land, and water in New Jersey and across our country. These resources are critical to ensuring a safe and healthy environment for future generations. The impacts of climate change are on our doorsteps. We need to mobilize every part of our American skills and ingenuity to prevent this crisis from getting worse and protect our finite natural resources from polluting industries. Effective climate action entails policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide high-wage jobs. This balance allows us to achieve economic and environmental security for all Americans. I have used my position as New Jersey’s only member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee to advocate for climate-focused policies, including cosponsoring the Green New Deal.

During my career I have fought to remove pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, particularly from the transportation and agricultural sectors. Living in New Jersey, I understand the need to clean up existing hazardous waste and abandoned sites. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act reinstates the Superfund tax on crude oil and imported petroleum products to ensure we have the resources to clean up these historic sites. I have also not backed down from holding responsible parties accountable and fighting to remediate these sites.

I have long championed new policies to improve our energy and water efficiency standards to upgrade existing buildings. I am mindful of the long history of inequality and injustice that occurred as a result of environmental racism. We can reverse these trends by promoting equality.

I have sought to combat climate change and global warming through underused methods and changing the tax code. I am the lead sponsor of the Offshore Wind Power Act to extend the wind investment tax credit to help grow the offshore wind industry in the United States, and New Jersey specifically. I proudly supported a manufacturing production credit for offshore wind and solar eligible components in the historic Build Back Better plan that passed the House of Representatives.

During the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, I pushed for key energy provisions to get people back to work and reduce our fossil fuel dependence. This landmark legislation increased renewable energy production. The bill also provided funds to upgrade public buildings and more than 1 million modest-income homes to be more energy efficient, which lowered our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Recently, I have prioritized the cleanup of polluted and contaminated sites that are the legacy of industrialization throughout North Jersey. I fought for federal support for the clean up of Berry’s Creek and the contaminated lower 17 miles of the Passaic River. I have worked with the Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to support important flood control and mitigation projects in our state.

I have dedicated much time and attention to preserving spaces for public use and recognizing the history in our community. That is why I fought to create a National Historical Park in the Great Falls Historic District in Paterson. This is the storied site where Alexander Hamilton implemented his vision of an economically-secure America. The Great Falls is both a tourist destination and a refuge for local residents to enjoy and gather.