As an avid outdoorsman and dad, I believe we have a responsibility to protect our environment for future generations and leave our community better than we found it. That's why I am a founding member of the Conservative Climate Caucus and a leader in Congress on issues like reducing emissions and addressing PFAS chemicals.

The climate is changing and our country needs a commonsense approach that works by reducing energy prices, not energy choices; shrinking our emissions, not our economy; and, exporting American innovation, not American jobs. Overregulating America will not lower emissions globally. In fact, 85% of all greenhouse gas emissions occur outside of the United States. This means that U.S. climate and energy policy must foster innovation and work for New London, North Carolina, as well as New Delhi, India.

Thanks to free-market policy and private sector innovation, the U.S. is the global leader in reducing emissions. In fact, our country has reduced emissions more in the last 20 years than the next 12 countries combined. In comparison, China now emits more greenhouse gases than the entire developed world combined. The Leftist agenda wants to ban fossil fuels, raise taxes on energy consumers, and force taxpayers to subsidize politically preferred industries. Such policies only increase energy costs while shipping American jobs overseas.

I am focused on conservative policies that secure American energy independence, foster innovation, and allow the market to meet the demand for affordable clean energy – without crippling tax increases.

As your Congressman and a member of the House Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee, I've also led efforts to combat PFAS chemicals like GenX, which has impacted our Cape Fear River region. This leadership spans numerous EPA administrators and administrations and includes:

• Raising the issue of GenX with then-EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt at a hearing on Dec. 7, 2017 (Watch)
• Ensuring the EPA began developing a plan for GenX on April 24, 2018 (Read)
• Hosting EPA leadership in Fayetteville in 2018 and 2020 to hear directly from community leaders impacted by GenX.
• In Sept. 2019, after my consistent pressure, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the EPA announced it will begin an investigation to determine what actions the EPA took to verify compliance with requirements of the 2009 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Premanufacture Notice Consent Order with DuPont [Chemours] to prevent release of the chemical GenX into the Cape Fear River basin. This investigation came after I questioned then-EPA Administrator Pruitt in April 2018 if GenX was used in a manner that was incompatible with the consent agreement under the TSCA. (Watch)
• On Jan. 10, 2020, the House passed legislation I introduced as part of the PFAS Action Act of 2019 (Read)
• In July 2020, I secured two amendments to increase funding for PFAS and GenX containment (Read)
• In June 2021, I wrote to EPA Administrator Michael Regan urging him to address GenX and discussed the PFAS Action Act of 2021 during a committee markup (More)

I will continue advancing solutions that strengthen our economy and improve our environment.