Pallone Joins Congressional Leaders in Attending COP28 Climate Conference

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) released the following statement today as he joins a Congressional Delegation trip to Dubai, UAE for the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, known as COP28:

“I look forward to attending COP28 and demonstrating the United States’ ironclad commitment to standing with our allies in the fight against climate change. Together we must chart a path forward for slashing dangerous climate pollution, making our communities more resilient to the devastating effects of climate change, and above all, dramatically reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.

“The recent National Climate Assessment found the United States is now experiencing a billion-dollar extreme weather event every few weeks, when we used to experience one every few months. The alarm bells are ringing, and they could not be clearer: the climate crisis is here. 

“While Democrats made unprecedented progress toward fighting it with the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, more must be done – and fast. We cannot simply watch from the sidelines while this crisis threatens our homes, our economy, and wreaks havoc on the jobs and industries Americans rely on every day.

 “I hope my Republican colleagues come in good faith, prepared to offer more than Big Oil talking points. They applaud America for making climate progress, but then attack the very clean energy policies that have achieved that progress. This reveals their true priority: promoting fossil fuel industry interests over those of American families. 

“We are out of time for climate denialism and political games. The climate crisis presents the greatest global threat of our lifetime, but we have all the tools we need to address it, and America has never before backed down from a challenge. Democrats have proven we won’t back down, and now COP28 gives Republicans the opportunity to prove they won’t either.”

President Biden and Congressional Democrats delivered the greatest investment in climate action in American history with the Inflation Reduction Act, which included a historic $369 billion for promoting clean energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Inflation Reduction Act is expected to create nine million good paying American jobs over the next decade. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law also invested a historic $1.2 trillion in our nation’s infrastructure, including for clean energy, electric grid resiliency, and electric vehicles.  

Last weekend, the Biden Administration announced it had finalized a rule to significantly reduce methane and other air pollutants from the oil and gas industry. This final rule will prevent an estimated 58 million tons of methane emissions from 2024 to 2038, representing a staggering 80 percent reduction that will come with more than $97 billion in net benefits.