Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici represents the First Congressional District of Oregon, which includes Washington, Yamhill, Clatsop, and Columbia counties and part of Multnomah County.
Strengthening public education is one of Suzanne's top priorities and one of the reasons she got involved in public service. Suzanne spent hundreds of hours volunteering in public schools before serving in the Oregon State Legislature, where she passed legislation to reduce duplicative testing. In Congress, she is a leader on the Education and Labor Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services.
Oregon’s First Congressional District is known for its natural treasures — from the Pacific Ocean to the Columbia River to the Clatsop State Forest — and it is imperative that they be preserved for future generations. In Congress I am committed to working to protect our public lands and natural resources, address climate change, move toward a clean energy future, and defend science and protect the Environmental Protection Agency from political influence.
In Northwest Oregon, we are facing the challenges of our inaction on climate change, whether it be more acidic oceans, rising sea levels, raging wildfires, changing agricultural conditions, and extreme weather events. Climate change and pollution also disproportionately affect our most vulnerable, and we must do more to protect the public of health of our communities. It is past time for Congress and the country to take action and address the growing threat of climate change and protect our environment. The United States has the ability and the obligation to lead the world’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and our dependence on fossil fuels, and transition to 100% clean energy. I will continue to work with my colleagues to implement adaptation and mitigation strategies as we fight to take meaningful action on climate change.
Climate change affects our entire economy and it’s more important than ever to develop a comprehensive national energy policy that shifts us toward a clean energy future. In Oregon, with our natural solar, wind, and wave resources, we have an opportunity to lead the nation in decreasing our reliance on fossil fuels. I’ve been proud to help secure federal funding for research and development of cutting-edge wave energy research in Oregon. By investing in renewable energy, we also have the opportunity to support new innovative, industries, and create more good-paying jobs for working families. I will also continue to advocate for rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure in sustainable and resilient manner and strengthen investments in clean and efficient transportation technologies.
Many Oregonians rely on our oceans to earn a living, and residents and visitors cherish our coastal communities. It is our responsibility to protect and sustain the oceans for the health of planet, our economy, and for the enjoyment of future generations. As co-chair of the House Oceans Caucus and Congressional Estuary Caucus, I am working to find commonsense solutions to critical problems like ocean acidification, harmful algal blooms, marine debris, tsunami preparedness, and illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing. I also advocate for robust federal funding for the cutting-edge science and research our oceans need.