John,

Yesterday, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Environmental Protection Agency and the important progress made over the years to clean our nation’s air and water.

In 1970, Republican President Richard Nixon created the EPA to protect human health and the environment. As we celebrate the progress made over the last fifty years, we must also recommit EPA’s mission and look to the future.

We still have so much work ahead of us to ensure everyone in this country has clean air to breathe, safe water to drink and healthy communities free of pollution.

Too many people in this country are still suffering the consequences of toxic pollution in their air, land and water – disproportionately, these people are in communities of color and Indigenous communities. By prioritizing environmental justice, EPA can help us finally achieve environmental equity.

EPA will also be critical in the fight against the global climate crisis, which is a growing threat to our economy, public health and way of life. To avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change, we need to prevent 1.5 degrees Celsius in global warming – but time is running out. We need to dramatically reduce global warming pollution and transition to a clean economy.

To ensure a healthy and habitable planet for our children and grandchildren, the EPA must use every tool at its disposal to mobilize and transition the United States to a clean, carbon-neutral economy by no later than 2050.

Yesterday's anniversary is not about looking to the past – it’s about the future.

With President-elect Biden at the helm, EPA will once again be guided by science, prioritize environmental justice and help the United States lead the world on climate action. As the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, I look forward to working with the Biden Administration to build on the enduring legacy of EPA and build a better future for everyone in this country.

Onward,
TC