WASHINGTON (AP) – House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Friday appointed Florida Rep. Kathy Castor to lead a special committee on climate change that will be reinstated in the new Congress.
Pelosi, the likely House speaker, said Castor brings experience, energy and “urgency to the existential threat of the climate crisis” facing the United States and the world. Castor is set to begin her seventh term representing the Tampa Bay area and serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
“Congresswoman Castor is a proven champion for public health and green infrastructure, who deeply understands the scope and seriousness of this threat. Her decades of experience in this fight, both in Florida and in the Congress, will be vital,” Pelosi said.
Castor said in a statement that she was honored to lead the panel and pledged to “act with urgency to reduce carbon pollution” and “unleash” American ingenuity to create clean-energy jobs.
“The costs of the changing climate and extreme weather events pose greater risks every day to American families, businesses and our way of life,” Castor said. She added that the new panel “will tackle the crisis head on. Failure is not an option.”