On June 8th, Rep. Scott Peters (D, CA-52), Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R, FL-26), and six other members introduced H.R. 2858, the bipartisan SUPER Act, which seeks to reduce short-lived climate pollutants like black carbon, methane, and hydro-fluorocarbons (HFCs).
The SUPER Act would establish a federal task force to coordinate and optimize existing efforts at various levels of government to reduce super pollutant emissions, which are many times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.
Short lived climate pollutants cause about 25 to 2000 times more warming per ton over a 25 to 100 year period, and account for 40% of global warming impacting the atmosphere.
It is critical that legislators act on their moral obligation to address climate change, and this bill is an important piece of that conversation.
Emily Wirzba, Legislative Representative for Sustainable Energy and Environment, said “The SUPER Act seeks to reduce those greenhouse gas emissions that are most toxic to public health and harmful to our clean air. I’m pleased to see members of the Climate Solutions Caucus reintroduce this bill in the 115^th Congress with bipartisan support. It is critical that legislators act on their moral obligation to address climate change, and this bill is an important piece of that conversation.”
According to Rep. Peters, “One week after President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement, this demonstrates the growing bipartisan will in Congress to act on climate. Super pollutants are the low-hanging fruit in the fight to slow climate change. Existing technologies have been proven effective at reducing these potent gases. By coordinating efforts across multiple levels of government, the ‘SUPER Act’ would help make the U.S. federal government a leader in reducing these pollutants and keeping our air and water clean.”
“While the focus is always on carbon, we need a full picture of all emissions that diminish our ozone, impact our climate, and accelerate sea level rise,” Rep. Curbelo said. “This Task Force would be a significant first step to ensuring that our nation has all the information needed to accurately protect our environment from these pollutants.”
FCNL thanks the co-sponsors of the SUPER Act, and looks forward to working with these members to continue to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change: Rep. Scott Peters (D, CA-52), Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R, FL-26), Rep. Mike Coffman (R, CO-06), Rep. Matt Cartwright (D, PA-17), Rep. John Delaney (D, MD-06), Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D, IL-03), Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D, CA-47), and Rep. Salud Carbajal (D, CA-24).
