I’m Suzan DelBene, the Democratic nominee for Washington’s 8th Congressional District. Thank you for inviting me to post here today.
Last month my opponent, Congressman Dave Reichert, exposed his strategy when it comes to the environment. In a recent town hall, he referred to environmental votes as "chess pieces" to take environmental groups "out of the game" during his re-election campaigns. Joan McCarter wrote about my opponent in Reichert explains how to keep a swing seat, and you can read more about his tactics here.
As we face the climate crisis and other threats to our environment, that’s not the sort of leadership we need.
Climate change is a serious threat to our way of life, economy, and our future - and we need to address it now. Climate change also presents an opportunity to invest in clean energy technology here at home and address security challenges we face because of our dependence on foreign oil. This is an opportunity to develop a new sector in our economy. Focusing on green energy and renewable technology will reap benefits for WA-08 as well as America as a whole, and it is a new economy that we are well poised to lead.
These days we need to look no further than the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico for why we need a different approach to energy and our environment in America. One of the most important things we can do - as individuals and as a nation - to prevent future disasters, protect our environment and build our economy is move towards a clean energy future and away from our dependence on oil.
My background is in business and technology, and I know how we can turn around this environmental crisis and create jobs at the same time. There is every indication that clean energy will be a growing industry in the 21st century. We should take steps now to ensure that technologies and workers from the United States drive this growth.
In Congress, I will support greater incentives and investment in clean energy and research and development. I will support the passage of the Green Bank Act, which would help to fund clean energy projects and new businesses. And I will do everything I can to pass a climate and clean energy bill.
Just as policy has tilted too far in favor of Wall Street, today the rules tilt too far toward the fossil fuel industry. Part of the reason is a lack of leadership. Representatives like my opponent, Congressman Dave Reichert, only see the short term and only vote for the environment occasionally.
The people of the 8th Congressional District deserve a representative in Congress who will lead the fight to protect our environment. And you can count on me to champion these issues. I know that developing promising new clean energy technologies is critical to rebuilding our economy, increasing our national security and tackling climate change.
I hope you’ll take a few moments to learn more on my website, and I'm happy to take questions.
Suzan DelBene