U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria represents Virginia's Second Congressional District. Prior to her election in 2018, Rep. Luria served two decades in the Navy, retiring at the rank of Commander. Rep. Luria served at sea on six ships as a nuclear-trained Surface Warfare Officer, deployed to the Middle East and Western Pacific, and culminated her Navy career by commanding a combat-ready unit of 400 sailors. Vice Chair of the House Armed Services Committee and a member the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Rep. Luria was one of the first women in the Navy's nuclear power program and among the first women to serve the entirety of her career in combatant ships. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee, where she is the committee's Vice Chair, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, where she serves as Chair of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, and the House Committee on Homeland Security. Of all members in the House Democratic Caucus, she served the longest on active duty, having completed 20 years of active military service with the U.S. Navy. Rep. Luria graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and received a master's in engineering management from Old Dominion University.
Coastal Virginia can be a national and global leader in our clean energy future. As a co-chair of the New Democratic Coalition Climate Change Task Force, I have laid out a bold vision for cutting greenhouse gas emissions while investing in the jobs and infrastructure of the future. For Coastal Virginians, sea level rise, recurrent flooding, and extreme weather aren't concerns for tomorrow; they are problems we deal with every day. We must act now to expand our investments in new, clean technologies like wind, solar, and advanced nuclear power.
As an engineer who operated nuclear reactors in the Navy, I saw firsthand that nuclear power, when deployed safely and responsibly, can play a key role in our future as a zero-carbon energy source. That is why I introduced the bipartisan Nuclear Energy Leadership Act, which will encourage innovation in the design and deployment of advanced nuclear reactor technologies. Nuclear energy paired with other clean energy investments will help move the United States towards a more sustainable future. In September, the House of Representatives passed my bill, the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act, as part of a larger energy package.
I support policies that will incentivize people to use renewable energy sources to power their homes and businesses. That is why I cosponsored the Renewable Energy Extension Act, which would extend the investment tax credit (ITC), an incentive that provides a tax credit up to 30% of the cost for new renewable energy and energy efficiency installations, for residential and commercial properties through 2027.
I am also helping to lead the fight against drilling off the coast of Virginia. Offshore drilling threatens our vibrant tourism economy, aquaculture, and fisheries by spoiling our beautiful beaches and shorelines. That is why the first bill I cosponsored in Congress was the bipartisan Defend Our Coast Act, which would forbid any drilling, exploration, development or production of fossil fuels off the Continental shelf in the mid-Atlantic region. Additionally, Members of the Virginia Delegation and I urged President Trump to extend the offshore oil and gas drilling moratorium to Virginia. Days later, President Trump announced its extension, protecting our irreplaceable coastline for many more years.