Throughout her career in public service, Congresswoman Garcia has been fighting for clean air and clean water in Houston. When a local Texas elected official, she helped make progress on cleaning up Superfund sites and the San Jacinto River. She advocated for funding to improve pollution monitoring in the city and fought for the removal of lead pipes that delivered contaminated drinking water to the children in Texas schools. She also led the fight to halt construction of Trump’s environmentally destructive border wall by introducing a bill to prevent state contracts with companies hired to complete the construction. Most recently as a U.S. Congresswoman, she has strongly supported remaining in the Paris Climate Agreement. Below are some of the major bills she has supported:

• The Congresswoman supported the Climate Change Now Act, which directs the President to develop a plan for the U.S. to meet nationally determined goals under the Paris Agreement to combat climate change.
• She voted for the PFAS Action Act, which revises several environmental laws and requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as forever chemicals or PFAS.
• She voted for the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, which reauthorizes through FY2024 a diesel emissions reduction program under which the EPA provides grants, rebates, or loans for replacing diesel engines or retrofitting the engines with pollution control technologies.
• She joined the entire House of Representatives in unanimously passing the Responsible Disposal Reauthorization Act, which extends through FY2031 authorization for the Department of Energy to operate the Cheney disposal cell in Mesa County, Colorado. The disposal cell serves as a repository for mill tailings, which is sandy waste that results from the process of turning natural uranium into fuel.
• The USMCA also included several important environmental provisions:
  • Prohibitions on some of the most harmful fisheries subsidies
  • New protections for marine species like whales and sea turtles, including a prohibition on shark-finning and a commitment to working together to protect marine habitat.
  • First-ever articles to improve air quality, prevent and reduce marine litter, support sustainable forest management, and ensure appropriate procedures for environmental impact assessments.
  • Robust and modernized mechanisms for public participation and environmental cooperation.
  • Bolster US-Mexico efforts to combat trade in illegally taken wildlife, fish and timber.

Today, we must embrace the challenge of combating climate change and saving our planet for future generations, while also meeting current energy demands and ensuring a stable economy. Everyone, whether individuals or businesses, has a stake in the environment and our national economy, and she rejects any false argument that dictates a choice between the two. Rather, we must demand both a healthy, safe environment and sound, good paying jobs.

We must recognize the reality that maintaining long-term economic growth, protecting the jobs our children will hold, and remaining competitive on the global stage, requires making investments today in the clean energy technology of tomorrow. In Congress, she is continuing to work with her colleagues to get us on a path toward both resolving the climate crisis and safeguarding economic growth now and in the future.