Opinion: Kilmer Becoming Leader on Climate Issues
While the COVID epidemic must be front and center in our concerns, I also try to keep in mind that climate change will also cause us massive disruptions unless we address it now.
Recently the bipartisan Select Committee on the Climate Crisis released its recommendations. You can read the full report at https://climatecrisis.house.gov/.
I am proud that five climate-related bills introduced by Rep. Derek Kilmer are among the steps forward the Select Committee recommends.
As a local leader in a climate change advocacy group, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, I’ve seen how Rep. Kilmer has consistently looked for bipartisan ways to address the risks of climate change. His position is informed by representing one of the districts most vulnerable to climate change: from ocean rise threatening coastal communities; to acidification threatening the fisheries industry so vital to the Northwest; to the risks facing our major Naval installations in Kitsap which led DoD to classify climate change as “threat mulI’ve watched as Rep. Kilmer never seeks to score political points on this issue – instead, he brings Republican colleagues to his district where they can see first-hand the impacts of climate change at places like Taholah on the coast. He seeks out consensus and supports bills that can cross the partisan divide in search of real answers.
I’m proud that Rep. Kilmer is a national leader on climate change.
By: Mike Kelly
Source: Kitsap Sun