Select Committee on Climate Releases Final Report

Democratic staff on the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis released their much anticipated final report. The report is a culmination of a series of hearings held by the Select Committee in 2019. The Select Committee was established by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) at the beginning of the 116th Congress after pressure from vocal freshman progressives in her caucus. The establishment of the Select Committee created disagreements within the House Democratic Caucus over whether a Select Committee or standing committees of jurisdiction – primarily Energy and Commerce Committee – should take the lead on the issue. As a result, the Select Committee lacked powers to issue subpoenas and to introduce legislation. Consequently, the final report, written by Democratic staff on the Select Committee, includes policy recommendations but no legislative language. You can view the final report here, a summary here and one-pagers on specific issues here.

Republican Members of the Select Committee are expected to release their report in the next few months.
The report’s recommendations include a number of policies impacting the ready mixed concrete industry, from recommending that utility poles be made of steel or concrete rather than wood; urging state and federal “buy-clean” legislation to promote low-carbon concrete and recommending an expansion of mass timber as a sustainable alternative.

For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org.