Expressing support for honoring the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and for other purposes.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 932 Expressing support for honoring the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 21, 2020 Mr. MCEACHIN (for himself, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, Ms. CAS- TOR of Florida, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. SMITH of Wash- ington, Mr. TAKANO, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. KILMER, Mr. TONKO, Mr. RUSH, Mr. LUJA´N, Ms. ADAMS, Mrs. AXNE, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Ms. BASS, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. BERA, Mr. BEYER, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Ms. BROWNLEY of California, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Mr. CASE, Mr. CASTEN of Illinois, Mr. CISNEROS, Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. CLAY, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. COHEN, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. COOPER, Mr. CORREA, Mr. COSTA, Mr. COX of California, Ms. CRAIG, Mr. CROW, Ms. DEAN, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. FOSTER, Ms. FUDGE, Ms. GABBARD, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Mr. GOMEZ, Ms. HAALAND, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. HOULAHAN, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. KIND, Mrs. KIRKPATRICK, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. LEVIN of Michigan, Mr. LEVIN of California, Mr. TED LIEU of California, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. MOORE, Mr. MORELLE, Ms. MUCARSEL-POWELL, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. NEGUSE, Mr. NOR- CROSS, Ms. NORTON, Mr. O’HALLERAN, Ms. OMAR, Mr. PANETTA, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. POCAN, Ms. PORTER, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. RICHMOND, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. RUP- PERSBERGER, Mr. SABLAN, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Mr. SARBANES, Ms. SCHA- KOWSKY, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. SHALALA, Mr. SOTO, Ms. STEVENS, Mr. SUOZZI, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. TRONE, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. WELCH, Ms. WILSON of Flor- ida, and Mrs. HAYES) submitted the following resolution; which was re- ferred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently deter- VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:20 Apr 21, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\HR932.IH HR932 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 932 IH mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned RESOLUTION Expressing support for honoring the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and for other purposes. Whereas Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970; Whereas April 22, 2020, will be the 50th anniversary of Earth Day; Whereas the late Senator Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day, called on the people of the United States to hold elected officials accountable for failing to adequately protect the health of people and the natural environment; Whereas former Congressman Pete McCloskey served as co- chair and Denis Hayes served as national coordinator of the first Earth Day celebration; Whereas after witnessing years of environmental neglect, mil- lions of Americans of all ages, walks of life, and political affiliations gathered in cities across the Nation on the first Earth Day to demand basic protections for our plan- et and to commit to leaving behind a healthier world for the next generation; Whereas Earth Day united people who had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage and toxic dumps, the loss of wildlife, and other environmental ills; Whereas that work continues today; Whereas Earth Day is an annual event created to promote environmental citizenship and action year-round; VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:20 Apr 21, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR932.IH HR932 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 932 IH Whereas the first celebration of Earth Day was the largest environmental grassroots event ever held at that time and is widely credited with launching the modern environ- mental movement; Whereas the voices of inaugural Earth Day participants gal- vanized an unparalleled period of legislative and grass- roots activity that changed the way we interact with the environment, leading to the creation of the Environ- mental Protection Agency, and passage of legislation such as the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Endangered Species Act; Whereas, by 1990, Earth Day was celebrated globally, with 200,000,000 people in 141 countries participating in Earth Day events; Whereas, on April 22, 2016, the 46th anniversary of Earth Day, 175 world leaders signed the Paris Agreement, a landmark international agreement to combat climate change and accelerate actions and investment in a sus- tainable, clean energy future; Whereas the 50th anniversary of Earth Day will be marked by tens of thousands of engagement events in every coun- try across the world; Whereas Earth Day fosters environmental activism and stew- ardship around the world, and encourages people to find ways to protect the environment, including managing their own environmental impact; Whereas on Earth Day, people engage in projects, initiatives, and campaigns to protect and restore the planet includ- ing planting trees, removing litter, cleaning up coral reefs, conserving water and energy, and other environ- mentally responsible actions; VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:20 Apr 21, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR932.IH HR932 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 932 IH Whereas in recognition of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the Earth Challenge 2020 was launched, a global citizen science initiative to demonstrate how small acts of science can add up to global change; Whereas new and continuing challenges, including climate change, pollution, sea level rise, and loss of forests, wet- lands, and other wildlife habitats, reinforce the need for adequate protections for the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we inhabit, and the animals we live along- side; Whereas there is scientific consensus that climate change poses a dire threat to our planet and its inhabitants, and that urgent and unprecedented changes are needed to mitigate its worst effects; Whereas Earth Day reaffirms our national responsibility in the global effort to combat climate change and protect our planet for all; Whereas Earth Day encourages us to acknowledge the preva- lence of environmental injustices that directly affect the health and well-being of individuals and communities across the country, and affirms our commitment to ame- liorating existing environmental injustices, and to pre- venting future injustices; Whereas Earth Day reminds us of the need to expand envi- ronmental and climate literacy not only to strengthen en- vironmental and climate protections but also to accelerate development of green technologies and creation of green jobs that will benefit all communities; and Whereas Earth Day reminds us we must not pass a world be- yond repair to our children: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:20 Apr 21, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR932.IH HR932 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 932 IH (1) recognizes the 50th anniversary of Earth 1 Day and urges the President to issue a proclamation 2 recognizing the anniversary of Earth Day, consistent 3 with the practice of the previous administration; 4 (2) encourages the American people to mark 5 Earth Day by working to address environmental 6 challenges large and small, from climate change to 7 litter; to educate their friends, neighbors, and elect- 8 ed representatives about the need for year-round ac- 9 tion; and to otherwise honor the stewardship ethic 10 for which Senator Gaylord Nelson stood; 11 (3) urges governments and peoples around the 12 world to continue building upon the Paris Agree- 13 ment and other efforts to ensure that future genera- 14 tions inherit a livable, sustainable, and ecologically 15 rich planet Earth; and 16 (4) reaffirms that immediate action is needed to 17 reduce greenhouse gas emissions to protect our plan- 18 et, public health, and overall well-being of all people 19 and wildlife. 20 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:20 Apr 21, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR932.IH HR932 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS