Nancy Pelosi Press Conference Transcript: Climate Action, Build Back Better

Nancy Pelosi: (00:00)
… Way that is responsible. And my dear friend, Sally, well, the Reverend Sally Bingham. We believe … Well, I don’t want to speak for her, but I believe this is God’s creation and we have a moral responsibility to be good stewards of it. But even if you don’t share that, we all share the responsibility to our children and grandchildren, and future generations. In this legislation that is pending that we are still finalizing, the climate piece of it is three buckets. It’s important for you to know the three buckets, they’re all about jobs and they’re all about children and the future.

Climate, the climate bucket is very, very important and whatever, shall we say, modifications we make we have to have in there the ability for us to reach our goals and curbing pollution and the rest in preparation for COP26. Climate and more on that as we proceed. Secondly, is healthcare Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, Medicare, very important part of the legislation. And third, the family. Again, health care is about jobs, climate is about jobs and the third is the family piece of it. And the family piece of it is how we Build Back Better in every respect.

Build Back Better with women in the workforce, workplace training, all the rest of that. And it’s about childcare. It’s about child tax credit for families. It’s about home health care. So important. It’s about family and medical leave. It’s about, as I said, childcare, but also accompanying with that, tied with that universal pre-K. The list goes on and on about how we enable families to care for under their home responsibilities as they honor their career responsibilities to provide for their families. And at the same time, have respect for the workers who are doing these jobs whether it’s childcare, home health care, and the rest. That what they are doing is an important part of our economy, largely are women, many women of color. And that’s why we’re saying Build Back Better.

When we do this, all of this, it’s with everybody at the table. Our friends in labor who are Rudy and thank you Olga for being here. It’s about having the enviros at the table. Thank you all for being here as well. It’s about having business. It’s about having farmers. It’s about having Native Americans. It’s about having everybody at the table. And I only named a few, it’s a big table. So that when we have a solution, it is a solution, not a declaration that is alienating, but a solution that is unifying. So again, what we’re here today about is specifically about the climate piece. This is our moment. We don’t have any more time to wait.

When I was speaking of the first time, the climate was my flagship issue. That was when President Bush was president. And later we would have President Obama and do health, et cetera. But this was my flagship issue. We passed the biggest energy bill in the history of our country in terms of addressing our missions and the rest of that, but it wasn’t the climate bill. We couldn’t pass that in the Senate. You need 60 votes. We couldn’t do that in the Senate. So this was a number of years ago. That was like 2010 and it was urgent then. Now it is a level of urgency that is an imperative that we get this job done in preparation for COP26, which is right around the corner. And to do so that helps us honor our responsibilities, but also share with other countries, developing countries, technology or resources that they need to reach their responsibilities for the children.

Now we have some very special guests here today. Our distinguished Senator from California, Alex Padilla. So active on so many fronts, including this one in committee, on the floor, in legislation whether it’s about electricity, whether it’s about school buses and clean energy for that, the list goes on. He’ll talk about that. He brings to the Senate, his experience from the California State Senate when he was there before becoming secretary of state. So he is a well-equipped for this fight that we’re in. Well, hopefully it’s not a fight. This discussion that we are in so that we have the resources to meet the challenge that is our imperative for the children.

After we hear from Senator Padilla, we will be hearing from Eddie Ahn. Eddie is director of Brightline Defense. He’s the executive director of that and who is advancing equity and environmental justice. Equity and environmental, this is such an essential piece of this legislation because environmental justice and just equity in terms of how we proceed, if we don’t do that, we are [inaudible 00:05:11] our responsibility to the future. We cannot just build back the way we did before. We have to Build Back Better.

So Eddie will talk more about that. Dr. Daniel Kammen, a Professor of Energy at Berkeley on the cutting edge of climate research and public service. Thank you so much, Dr. Kammen for being with us. And then the Reverend Sally Bingham, President Emeritus of the Regeneration Project, reminding us of our moral duty to protect the planet. You’ve probably seen Sally at one time or another any number of times at Grace Cathedral, anytime people come together to talk about God’s creation of this planet. So with that, I’m very pleased to yield to the distinguished Senator from California. We’re so proud of him and we’re so proud that he was effective from the start on protecting the planet for the children. Senator Padilla.

Alex Padilla: (05:58)
Well, thank you, Madam Speaker. It’s indeed an honor to be with you today at this critical stage of final negotiations for Build Back Better. And I do want to thank you for your leadership. And we’re working together and we are literally on the verge of a historic investment in our nation’s clean energy infrastructure. The federal government has invested in infrastructure before, but never with the focus and emphasis on sustainability. And certainly not at this funding level than what we’re on the verge on today.

For families in California, we know that the climate crisis is already a daily reality, not a concern of what we may experience 10, 20, 30 years from now, but what Californians are experiencing today. Now the state of California has been a leader on climate, but we’re in a position and we have a golden opportunity to make sure that the rest of the nation and the rest of the world indeed follows California’s lead.

A couple of examples. Just this year, thousands of Californians have been forced to flee their homes with only the clothes on their back or the belongings they can fit in their car as they were fleeing, yet again, record wildfires. We’ve had a summer where farmers have torn out crops due to the escalating drought conditions in many parts of the state. So why California is certainly exhibit A on climate, the entire Western United States is on fire and facing another record drought.

Fossil fuel emissions have pushed our planet to a crisis point. And yet, despite the evidence, too many of our Republican colleagues refuse to acknowledge the science. They’re denying the need for an emergency response now and a real plan of action. But the good news is we have democratic majorities both the House and the Senate and we know what it is that needs to happen. If we Race to Zero out carbon emissions, we can slow the pace of climate change and even bring down temperatures by the middle of this century. But our path to avert a climate catastrophe is narrowing each and every day.

So let me be clear. Climate cannot be on the chopping block in this or any budget. We cannot afford to leave these problems to be dealt with another day. We need to act boldly and tackle this crisis head-on. Across the country, across industries and truly around the world, we need to end our dependence on fossil fuels. We need to fully fund the transformational infrastructure that will allow us to not just come out of the transition, but to come out better than before.

And we must provide justice to communities who are suffering the worst impacts of climate change and do so in a way that creates millions of good paying union jobs in the process. The Build Back Better agenda, building back more inclusively, building back more sustainably will be our nation’s largest ever investment in a sustainable future. And as California knows all too well, it can’t come soon enough. So thank you again, Speaker Pelosi for prioritizing climate action and for bringing us together, and putting us on the verge of doing what California and the nation needs. Thank you very much.

Eddie Ahn: (10:17)
Good morning, everyone. Eddie Ahn, Executive Director of Brightline Defense, an environmental justice nonprofit that engages in air quality monitoring, youth leadership and job training in the Bay Area. We also promote renewable energy and progressive workforce policies because we work with frontline communities, low-income households who were disproportionately impacted from climate change disasters ranging from wildfires, as you know, in California to rising sea levels as well.

Eddie Ahn: (10:41)
And we believe in the Build Back Better Act for several reasons. First of which is that it creates millions of jobs. And second, that it will allow for families to be able to save money from clean energy that’s produced in the United States. And third and finally is the idea of investment in frontline communities, the ability to shore up our communities that are being disproportionately impacted by climate change that’s happening now-

Eddie Ahn: (11:03)
… that are being disproportionately impacted by climate change that’s happening now. On the first point, jobs, the act will create millions of jobs. Senator Padilla and Speaker Pelosi have noted that it will create renewable energy projects that will inevitably create union jobs. And through things like local hiring, which is actually being piloted by the Biden administration right now through the US Department of Transportation, it’ll allow us to reach into local, underemployed, unemployed communities and make sure we can create good-paying jobs for those that need it most. The other, more personal thing to me is that I love how this creates also a Civilian Climate Corps program. You may know in the state, Governor Newsom has already created the California Climate Action Program, which essentially leverages AmeriCorps funding. Myself, I came into nonprofit work originally as an AmeriCorps member, but this piece of federal legislation will create more resources, because we need an entire generation of leadership to address the almost insurmountable challenges ahead.

Eddie Ahn: (11:56)
And so in that way, I think this can create long-term jobs to address the problems ahead of us. The second thing is the act will actually save low-income families money fighting for programs like the Clean Electricity Payment Program, which will allow us to create a clean energy standard for the nation, and allow us to push the entire grid toward things like solar, offshore wind, and also electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and make sure that we can harden our communities in anticipation of the challenges again ahead. The third and final thing is the act will allow us to invest in frontline communities, so things like energy efficiency investments.

Eddie Ahn: (12:32)
And a lot of the work in environmental justice is hyperlocal in nature, so I’m going to name check a couple neighborhoods. But everything from low-income family households in Bayview–Hunters Point, to SRO buildings, single-room occupancy buildings, in South of Market and the Tenderloin, we want to make sure that low-income tenants and homeowners can access the large level of resources in play provided by this act. And I just love, for instance, that there’s an ITC, an investment tax credit, that specifically targets low-income communities in this legislation. So as we move away from fossil fuel subsidies and move toward a clean and just economy, I’d like to thank the speaker for her leadership on this issue, and Senator Padilla for making sure that we have national leadership at the end day that has real, hyperlocal consequences, and moves us into the right direction. Thank you.

Speaker 1: (13:18)
Well, I could not be more honored to be here today to share the stage with these Californians who are fighting for clean energy, jobs, and local resilience and justice. I want to thank Speaker Pelosi, Senator Padilla. Thank you for your leadership on these efforts. It takes all members of the local to national level to fight for these issues. They generate income and jobs, and we need to see those at the national level. California’s committed to a carbon-neutral economy by 2045, and is in discussions right now to move that date forward in time. Those discussions and the actions in the state have already led to dramatic increase in jobs, environmental protection, and opportunities for low-income and fenceline communities that are often the first targets of pollution, and the last to be served. As part of California’s Senate Bill 32 and Senate Bill 100, the core of our local climate legislation, 35% as a floor, not a ceiling, of the state cap and trade funds are devoted to addressing these issues of the just transition, not just the transition.

Speaker 1: (14:33)
In fact, this is a case where more makes it easier. A more inclusive, a more just package that the Build Back Better act highlights, and makes the job of both climate protection and social inclusion and equity a more viable and an easier process. President Biden has thankfully adopted many of the features of California’s actions in the Justice40 initiative, and they’re built into Build Back Better in terms of investments in low- income housing, in terms of heat pumps, in terms of energy efficiency. Many of the features that make getting to our climate goals easier also narrow the wealth, justice, and racial gaps that California and the country face. Electric vehicles are another exciting opportunity to make dramatic changes. California, we already have 1 million electric vehicles in use, mainly thanks to the efforts of our politicians and companies to build that fleet out, and justice can be a core element of this process.

Speaker 1: (15:31)
Several of our ride sharing companies have already committed to 100% electric vehicle fleets, which is a start, but also to making those vehicles available at low and below-cost leases for drivers. There’s a justice component in many of the features, and Build Back Better brings many of these to the national stage. A clean energy economy is a huge lift. It is doable, but challenging as we’ve heard, but we also need to recognize we need to go beyond clean energy. In fact, clean energy is now cheaper than fossil fuels in the national, international level. We need to double down on that. 90% of new energy projects worldwide last year and the year before were renewable energy projects. Bloomberg News has already highlighted that it’s now cheaper to build new clean energy with all of the jobs benefits than to simply operate existing fossil fuel plants. By investing in these clean energy options, but also investing in clean water, clean air, healthy oceans, we can double and triple down on the jobs benefits of all these areas.

Speaker 1: (16:38)
With the world moving to clean energy, we lose US competitiveness, we leave jobs on the table for other countries if we don’t become a leader in the manufacturing and the integration of heat pumps, of solar panels, of energy efficiency systems, of affordable homes that are clean and lower-cost for residents around the country, and around California, and around the world. And as the US gets ready for COP26, that I will be attending as a representative of the US government and the US Agency for International Development as the new advisor for innovative energy solutions, I’m excited to work on these opportunities with our domestic international partners to build this new, just transition to a clean energy economy. So I want to thank all of you for letting me share the stage with you. It is definitely time to act. Thank you very much.

Rev. Sally Bingham: (17:39)
Hello. I am the Reverend Canon Sally Bingham. I serve as the canon for the environment for the Episcopal Diocese of California. Thank you for this invitation to speak today, and thank you to my friend Speaker Pelosi for this honor. I have been working on climate solutions for 25 years, and founded an organization called Interfaith Power & Light, where we ask people of faith to join together and fight climate change. It’s been a wild ride, but a very successful campaign, because most people really do want clean air and clean water. We want our children to be able to go outside and play without fear of asthma or lung diseases. Religious people who profess a love for God have a unique responsibility to protect God’s creation. God put Adam in the garden to till it and to keep it. That’s right out of Genesis, and we are the designated gardeners of this planet.

Up until now, we have not done a very good job. Build Back Better is a chance to start changing that trend. It’s the most comprehensive and thorough plan for addressing the climate crisis that I have seen in my years working on this issue. While we have 22,000 congregations nationwide, and 700 here in California who are cutting emissions, we still have so much more to do. We have a moral responsibility to protect each other, both here and around the world. Remember the commandment to love God, love your neighbor as yourself. Climate affects poor nations and poor people first and worst. Our congregations in California are cutting their energy use. 300 congregations here in California have solar on their roofs. They have energy efficiency tools like programmable thermostats, and some are serving as cool clean-air sanctuaries during extreme heat, or when the air is polluted due to wildfires and wildfire smoke.

And some people criticize the price of Build Back Better, but remember that it’s over a 10-year period. One climate catastrophic disaster will be more costly to clean up than to prevent in the first place. We are witnessing these disasters more frequently now, so I have to ask you: Don’t we have a moral obligation to do what we can to prevent the destruction of life as we know it, life that God gave us? So I have to ask you: Don’t we have a moral obligation to do what we can to prevent the destruction of life as we know it, life that God gave us, and a planet to help with our survival? We must preserve this-

Usually, we say the reverse, think globally, act local, but one way or another. And one way that we do it locally is with our friends and neighbors. So I’m so happy that Rudy Gonzalez of the San Francisco Building Trades is here. That’s a place where we are going to do a lot of good work in this regard. Aldo Mirando, congratulations on the contract with the janitor. Such a champion but, again, all of these jobs that we’re talking about should be union jobs, including the home healthcare workers in all of this as well. I’m very happy that Lori Weyburn from the Civic Parks Trust is here. Her family has been the family of climate from the earliest start. Edgar Weyburn and her mom, Peggy, just have been such champions, so thank you. Every place you look, you see the work that Ed Weyburn was the inspiration of and Phil Burton implemented in the Congress. And then [Eger Treygoff 00:24:02] from Trey Group from the Sierra Club, thank you, Eger, for being here. Thank you Edgar.

And, where did he go? Where’s Mike? Oh, over there. I was looking here. Hi Mike, thank you for being here. And I also just want to acknowledge Scott Sampson, the Executive Director of the California Academy of Science, and thank him for the work that the Academy of Science does, but also for the hospitality to be here on the living roof, living roof, just in the forefront of all of this.

Let me just say, I’m talking about one of the stories that I tell is maybe 15 years ago or something, and then add 30 years on that. I was in Alaska, where if you go to Alaska, you see in real time what’s happening, melting of the glaciers, so much happening there. But what I was told about 15 years ago was that 30 years previous to that, so nearly 50 years ago, the Elders told people that something was happening to the habitat, the flora and fauna, it was different. They were told at the time that that was anecdotally interesting, but scientifically insignificant. And so without going into who might’ve told them that, and whose vested interests were being protected in that way, they saw, they knew early on.

Now it’s not early on. We see, we know, and we must get this accomplished. And in a way, again, that’s good paying jobs. Now, this is about creating good paying jobs, the initiative is paid for. Not only is it paid for, but Senator Padilla can attest, it’s not only paid for, it reduces the national debt because we have people paying their fair share. And it, again, it reduces the debt, creates jobs, good paying jobs, millions of jobs, union jobs, and also it meets the needs of the American people and central to that is the climate piece of this.

We have no choice but to make this decision. We have opposition on the other side of the aisle, who knows why. Talk to your children. They know more about this. The children will lead the way on this. But with that, I’m sure that our guests would be happy to take any questions on this subject. And I would join them in that.

On the subject of climate, any questions? Any comments that you would like to make further? Yes, please.

A few words in Spanish, I understand there’s some Spanish language press here. So just briefly, [Spanish 00:26:42].

Thank you very much, Senator. I do want to also acknowledge that we have some other guests here, Diane Le from the California Young Democrats. [inaudible 00:28:10] a champion on all of these issues for a long time. [Ike Wan 00:28:14], thank you for being here. Hi Ike. And [inaudible 00:28:18] Milgrim from Melbourne Gardner, from California Interfaith Power and Light, which was discussed.

Aren’t we proud of the resources that we have here today. Eddie on, thank you for talking about equity in all that we do. Again, we cannot repeat past mistakes and the President has been so great on this. He said, I want to do a bi-partisan bill and that’s important, the infrastructure bill. But I will not confine my vision for the country to what we can do in a bipartisan way. We have to go further with equity and of course the climate issues as well.

So thank you, Eddie. Thank you, Dan, Dr. Daniel Kemin and congratulations on your new assignment in the White House now. And then on to Glasgow, Sally Bingham, she’s been preaching the gospel of climate for a very long time. Thank you so much.

Now, in terms of timing, just a few weeks ago, the UN issued its code red for humanity. What more of a message do we need science based? Science- based widely known sources and the policies to get the job done. Thank you all so much.

Speaker 2: (29:39)
We’ve got a question.

Okay. On climate? Okay. We’ll take others after, but… Yes, ma’am?

Speaker 3: (29:46)
Hi I’m [inaudible 00:29:55] I wanted to know, how are your constituents here [inaudible 00:29:55].

How will our constituents here feel the impact? Now, this is, and I’m going to call on some others to join me, because this is a bill that is not just like legislation, incremental, do the best you can. This is transformative. It’s build back better. It’s build back better to save the planet. It’s build back better for women in the workplace. It’s build back better for the children. So they will find out very soon in the three buckets that I mentioned, what this means for climate, what it means for healthcare, what it means for women in the workplace and dads too, who have responsibilities at home. It is going as the rescue [inaudible 00:30:41] that Senator Padilla was so instrumental in passing in the Senate and the Congress, that immediately put money in people’s pockets, vaccines in people’s arms,, people back to work children safely on their path to go to school.

And it took 50% of the children who live in poverty, out of poverty, but that was COVID related. We have to make all of this permanent, and that’s what the legislation will do. It’s largely, if you just take it from the perspective of the children, the children of California and their families will greatly benefit.

Senator? Any of you.

Speaker 4: (31:25)
So, I mean, it’s a great question because California is already the nexus of clean energy jobs. We have more people employed in renewable energy and energy efficiency than we have in the fossil fuel sector. And more than in all of our utilities combined. In addition, many of the new clean energy companies have their financial and administrative heads here in California and in the speaker’s district. So one of the big benefits, locally, is that those companies and those industries will get a big boost. We’re already looking at three to five times more jobs by investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency than in the fossil fuel areas. So this is really an investment in not only current employment, but also young people moving into the workforce. So really in a way that build back better highlight.

Speaker 4: (32:33)
So I think for all of us, it’s a huge opportunity for California residents. And it’s also ability to move many of California’s technologies, more efficient homes, smarter windows, heat pumps to the national and global stage. So it’s really a jobs bill first, that thankfully does climate and its core. So I think it’s really a great question. And thank you for the chance to answer.

Speaker 5: (33:00)
It’s such a good question about how will it help the…

Speaker 5: (33:03)
It’s such a good question about how will it help the constituents of California. This is just one detail, but if we let it go, we lose the opportunity to get a rebate on an electric car, and that will be installed in Build Back Better, so that those of us who want to get an electric car, there’s going to continue to be a benefit for that.

Thank you for the question. I’ll give just sort of three examples, and a reminder that it is a two bill package that must go together; it’s been the understanding from day one.

First example, as Speaker Pelosi mentioned, when I was in the state senate, I served as Chair of the Energy, Utility and Communications. And I share that because the proposals to shift towards more renewable energy sources, we know is not just an idea that we think is good and we’re crossing our fingers; California has demonstrated it to work. We can keep the power on, we can keep the lights on, and reduce emission and create good paying jobs in the process. That’s a significant element of the climate initiatives in Build Back Better.

Example number two; the electrical grid. Whether it’s wildfires in California, or ice storms in Texas just a few months ago, we know that we need to modernize the electrical grid rid, not just from a reliability standpoint, not just from a resiliency standpoint, but for purposes of efficiency; reducing emissions and undoing the causes that lead to wildfires and more extreme weather incidents in different parts of the country. The electric vehicle, not just cars that we’re talking about, but the underlying infrastructure that supports them, charging stations in residences, in commercial locations, that’s a lot of good, paying jobs to build out that infrastructure as we go through the transition.

And the final example I’ll give is one that’s personal to me; the ability to assist school districts in transitioning out of diesel school buses, and into electric school buses and zero emission school buses. Again, proven technology, not a wish. More than 90% of bus fleets in America are school buses, more than 90% of those school buses are diesel. And as someone who used to be a kid riding in one of those school buses, once upon a time, I still remember what that diesel exhaust smells like. Our kids deserve better. So the conversion of school buses to zero emission is obviously good for the planet, it’s great for public health, and it’s better for the child’s academic performance because healthier kids learn better. So a lot more initiatives like that in these infrastructure proposals.

Okay. And by the way as we’re talking about children and what they’re breathing and all the rest. So much in this legislation that we needed to do anyway, but it falls under the category of climate as well, is replacing lead pipes throughout the country. Our children are drinking water that is laiden with lead, they’re in schools where lead paint is on the walls. It’s immorality, really, in my view, to have had that continued. And this was a real priority for us to make sure that we were improving the atmosphere for the children, whether it was the air they breathe writ large, or the planet in which they live. Anything other question? Yes.

Speaker 6: (36:39)
Speaker Pelosi Is there anything, as far as a deadline for negotiations on the bill set [inaudible 00:36:45]? And then, are any of the climate specific divisions on the table, as far as the negotiations?

Well, I’m not here to go into the negotiation, but we will have what we need in, in terms of the climate provisions. We’ll bring the bill to the floor when we have the votes to bring the bill to the floor, but we’re working constantly, 24/7, wherever we are in DC or with his Holiness here today, to shorten the distance between where we need to be, and where we are now. But I feel very confident as the Senator indicated, this will get done, because it must get done. And again, we’re having those negotiations. Our chairmen are sharpening their pencils as to how we come down with the number. I wish we could stay at the big number, but we can’t. And the Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Frank Pallone and issue others from here on that committee are working very hard to make sure that whatever clarification is needed in terms of the language in the bill, apart from the money, the language in the bill, that that is being done.

But thank you for your question, and today is very important for us, because you see the local intellectual resources that we have to meet the needs of people, and that’s what this is about; to meet people’s needs in a way that creates jobs, protects God’s gift to us, the planet, reduces the national debt, and does so as soon as possible. Thank you all very much. Thank you. Oh, okay.

Speaker 7: (38:30)
Off topic, talking about the Supreme Court and the supply chain issue. Commissioners report [inaudible 00:38:42], want to see it first. However, we’ve seen that power progressives have to get [inaudible 00:38:42], so if they want to bring legislation [inaudible 00:38:45] forward, would you support that-

[crosstalk 00:38:47] Well, let’s see what the commission has to say. The gentleman’s question was about the size of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court hasn’t increased its size since Lincoln’s days; we’ve had nine members since then. So it’s a legitimate discussion to have, and the President appointed commission to put it forward to discuss that. And then what was the other part?

Speaker 7: (39:11)
For that specific question?

No, you said it was two parts. Oh, the supply chain.

Speaker 7: (39:14)
Yes.

The supply chain, yes, you see the President declared yesterday that the port of Los Angeles would be 24/7 and our friends in labor in, I think President Adams was there with the President yesterday from the ILWU, supporting that. So many of the supply chain issues relate to how we get them from container to marketplace. But a lot of it is what’s happening in the other countries as well, so the supply issue is a global one that we have to address. But we’re very proud of President Adams. Thank you [inaudible 00:39:56]. Thank you all very much.

Thank you.

Nancy Pelosi Press Conference Transcript: Climate Action, Build Back Better

Other Related Transcripts

Stay updated.