House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis

House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis
Name	House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis
Type	Select
Chamber	House of Representatives
Congress	116th Congress
Formed	January 2019
Dissolved	December 2020
Chair	Frank Pallone
Ranking member	Greg Walden
Seats	15

House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis was a United States House of Representatives select committee formed in the 116th United States Congress to examine climate change and related policy options. Created during the speakership of Nancy Pelosi and amid the tenure of President Donald Trump, the committee convened hearings, produced reports, and advanced recommendations intended to influence legislation in the 116th United States Congress and beyond. Its work intersected with ongoing debates involving federal agencies, state actors, NGOs, and international processes such as the Paris Agreement.

Background and creation

The committee was established by a resolution introduced after the 2018 midterm elections when the Democratic Party reclaimed the House majority, and leadership including Nancy Pelosi prioritized a dedicated body on climate issues. Creation responded to calls from environmental organizations like the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, and the Natural Resources Defense Council as well as climate scientists associated with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and advocates tied to the Sunrise Movement. Opponents compared the new panel to previous select committees such as the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming and criticized overlaps with standing committees including the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Membership and leadership

Leadership reflected partisan control of the chamber: the Democrat-appointed chair was a senior member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, while the Republican ranking member came from members with ties to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Prominent members included lawmakers who had served on the House Select Committee on Benghazi, House Committee on Oversight and Reform, and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Membership drew representatives from states such as California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois, and Massachusetts, linking to constituencies and local governments like the California Air Resources Board and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Jurisdiction and responsibilities

Although a select committee lacks the permanent jurisdiction of standing committees like the House Committee on Energy and Commerce or the House Committee on Natural Resources, its mandate covered federal responses to climate change, oversight of agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, and coordination with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Responsibilities included conducting hearings, issuing reports, and recommending legislative language to the House of Representatives and relevant subcommittees including Subcommittee on Energy panels. The committee engaged with international frameworks including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and regional initiatives such as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

Major hearings and investigations

The committee held hearings featuring witnesses from scientific institutions like NASA, NOAA, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and university centers such as Harvard University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Columbia University. Testimony included representatives from NGOs Sierra Club and Environmental Defense Fund as well as industry groups like the American Petroleum Institute and utilities such as Exelon. The panel examined topics tied to the Green New Deal proposed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Edward J. Markey, federal infrastructure funding linked to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act debates, and oversight of enforcement actions under the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.

Reports and legislative recommendations

The committee produced reports that synthesized findings from hearings, hearings’ testimony from scientists at Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments, and policy analyses by think tanks such as the Brookings Institution, Heritage Foundation, and Center for American Progress. Recommendations addressed emissions reduction targets similar to goals in the Paris Agreement, investments in renewable energy sectors including wind and solar companies like First Solar and Vestas Wind Systems, modernization of the electric grid influenced by research at National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and incentives aligning with tax policy overseen by the United States Department of the Treasury. Some proposals paralleled legislative language in bills introduced in the 116th United States Congress.

Criticism and controversy

Critics from the Republican caucus, energy trade groups including the American Petroleum Institute, and some state delegations charged the committee with duplicating authority of standing committees such as the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Disputes arose over subpoena power, the scope of investigations into agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, and partisanship highlighted during exchanges reminiscent of hearings in the Watergate scandal era or oversight battles with Republican Study Committee members. Industry-funded commentators and conservative organizations such as the American Legislative Exchange Council and commentators in outlets like Fox News and The Wall Street Journal questioned economic impacts cited in committee materials.

Legacy and impact on climate policy

Although the select committee was dissolved at the end of the 116th United States Congress, its hearings, reports, and policy frameworks influenced subsequent Congressional debates in the 117th United States Congress and state-level initiatives in California, New York, and Washington. Its work fed into executive-branch actions during the Biden administration and informed public discourse via collaborations with institutions like the Union of Concerned Scientists and the World Resources Institute. The committee’s contributions are cited in policy proposals, regulatory rulemaking processes at the Environmental Protection Agency, and in campaign platforms for figures including Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders.

Category:United States House of Representatives select committees