Heinrich Pushes For Climate Action, Calls For Senate Passage Of Build Back Better Act

WASHINGTON (Jan. 4, 2022) – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), the cofounder of the first-ever Electrification Caucus and member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is kicking off his return to D.C. by continuing his fight for investments in the Build Back Better Act that meet the challenges of the climate crisis, create good-paying jobs, and reduce costs for families.

WATCH: Heinrich Calls For Senate Passage Of Build Back Better Act During Virtual Press Conference

Today, Senator Heinrich participated in a virtual press conference with U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Chair of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) and U.S. Representative Donald McEachin (D-Va.), Climate Power, and the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) calling for immediate action on the Build Back Better Act.

During the press conference, Senator Heinrich said, “We are seeing the cost of inaction. I see it in my home state, in a Rio Grande that is under stress like I’ve never seen before. I see dying Cottonwoods even when there’s water because of the heat stress. I see winter temperatures that are just not what we’re used to. And then you see the extreme fire behavior as we saw in Colorado. And we can’t accept this. This cannot be the status quo that we’re going to pass on to our kids and grandkids. They deserve better. And the start of how we win this fight is to pass Build Back Better.”

The Build Back Better Act includes provisions that Senator Heinrich has championed to make home electrification more affordable, launch a new Civilian Climate Corps, and deliver powerful incentives to build new clean energy projects, high-voltage transmission lines, and infrastructure for electric vehicles.

In November 2021, Senator Heinrich, alongside Senator Smith, Rep. Castor, and U.S. Representative Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), announced the first-ever, bicameral Electrification Caucus to advance policies that accelerate widespread electrification.

Senator Heinrich has spent decades working to build a clean energy economy. He is fighting for investments in the Build Back Better Act to help communities confront the climate crisis head on, move the clean energy transition forward, and power New Mexico’s economic recovery.

Senator Heinrich is focused on creating jobs of the future, confronting the climate crisis, modernizing America’s electric grid, and preparing New Mexico for the energy transition. As a national leader in energy policy, Senator Heinrich has championed the development of renewable energy projects on public and Tribal lands, the siting of transformative high-voltage transmission lines, and the research and adoption of innovative energy storage, clean hydrogen, and microgrid technologies.