Rick represents Washington state's Second Congressional District, which includes portions of Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties and all of Island and San Juan counties.
Rick serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the House Armed Services Committee. These committees enable Rick to focus on creating jobs and opportunity to meet the local needs of Northwest Washington.
As a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rick is committed to investing in transportation to drive job growth and keep the economy moving. Rick will continue to fight for strong investments in roads, bridges, highways and transit to build a foundation for future economic growth. Rail safety is another priority issue for Rick, and he has worked hard to push for better safety standards for crude oil traveling by rail.
Scientific evidence leaves no doubt that our global climate is changing as a result of greenhouse gases produced by human activity. The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which won a Nobel Prize in 2007 and is the world’s leading organization in assessing climate change, has found that greenhouse gas emissions have risen to unprecedented levels.
I am working to protect Washington state’s environment and mitigate the devastating effects of greenhouse gas emissions. Preserving the wildlife, lands and waters that make the Pacific Northwest unique is important to maintaining a healthy economy and a high quality of life now and for future generations.
Our country needs a rational, national energy policy that creates and keeps clean energy jobs within the U.S. Northwest Washington is already a leader when it comes to renewable energy, and I am working to strengthen our region’s role as a hub for sustainable energy. I am a strong supporter of research funding, technology development and tax credits to grow our investment in clean energy and create new jobs in the private sector. Following the historic climate change agreement in Paris, our country and our region must take action to lead the way on renewable energy.