New Hampshire's members of Congress say they support the call for a select House committee on a "Green New Deal."
The campaign is being led by the group Sunrise Movement and incoming Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
Her proposed committee would draft a plan by 2020 to move the U.S. economy off fossil fuels, and combat climate change, by creating new jobs and technology in renewable energy.
Representative-elect Chris Pappas tells NHPR he supports a planned resolution to form the select committee, which would include 15 representatives:
"I think it's smart to have a committee that can look into it in a way that can show the linkage to economic development and quality of life in the future,” Pappas says.
Representative Annie Kuster also tells NHPR she supports the creation of the committee:
"Renewable energy has always been a priority of mine, and the win-win-win of creating economic development and jobs, protecting our environment and saving our planet, so I'm very excited about it,” Kuster says.
The statements from the two Democrats drew praise from local organizers who have joined protests in Washington about the issue.
“The climate crisis is having devastating impacts in New Hampshire and around the world,” says New Hampshire Youth Movement co-founder Dylan Carney in an emailed statement. “Young Granite Staters … worked hard at getting [Kuster and Pappas] to support the Green New Deal and feel this is a great first step down the long path towards climate justice.”
Carney says two members of his group were arrested during demonstrations about the issue at presumptive Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's office last month.
The group 350 New Hampshire also joined those protests. Organizer Sam Tardiff says they’re glad to hear Kuster and Pappas voice support for the committee.
"Big problems really require big solutions, so we're really excited to see how this select committee turns out and what kind of solutions it puts on the table,” he says.
As of Tuesday, more than 30 other incumbent or incoming representatives – all Democrats – had also pledged support for the proposal.
