CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN FIGHTS BACK AGAINST HOUSE GOP'S PRO-POLLUTION, ANTI-UNION AGENDA

Congressman Pat Ryan Fights Back Against House GOP’s Pro-Pollution, Anti-Union Agenda

Ryan voted against a series of bills this week that will cut union jobs, enable pollution of waterways, and dismantle investments in innovative energy solutions

Ryan’s amendment to decrease PFAS pollution was voted against by every single House Republican

WASHINGTON, DC  –  Today, Congressman Pat Ryan continued his fight against the House GOP’s anti-union, pro–pollution agenda, voting against a series of bills that will cut union jobs, allow big corporations to increase their pollution, and dismantle programs that drive energy innovation and independence. Ryan is a fierce champion for Hudson Valley unions, and has prioritized legislation that bolsters union jobs with environmentally conscious innovation.  As part of his ongoing work to crack down on pollution from toxic forever chemicals like PFAS, Ryan offered an amendment to the environmentally harmful legislation. His amendment–that House Republicans unanimously voted against twice–would’ve prevented any increase in PFAS pollution into waterways. 

“I’m fighting for our entire Hudson Valley community, from the family-run business that got Inflation Reduction Act funds to bolster their energy efficiency and hired union workers to get the job done, to the parents that don’t want their kids drinking toxic  PFAS riddled water. Yet this week, far-right Republicans passed a series of bills that will gut union jobs and boost profits for the very corporate polluters destroying our environment. They even unanimously rejected my amendment to decrease PFAS pollution,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “They’re selling out Hudson Valley families to appease the oil billionaires and corporate elites. For your kids and mine, for my friends in labor that are the backbone of our Hudson Valley economy, I promise I will keep working for you, not the special interests.”

This week, Ryan voted against the following bills:

• H.R. 1023 which repeals the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund that awards grants for energy efficient projects and invests in air pollution reduction technologies. The bill also repeals the IRA’s Methane Emissions Reduction Program that penalizes excess methane emissions by big corporations. Methane is 28 times more potent of a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. 
• H.R. 7023 would increase pollution in waterways by expanding protections for groups to discharge wastewater into waterways and hamstringing the EPA’s ability to review discharge permits by restricting the review of its environmental impact, limiting judicial review of permits, and extending the lifetime of a permit from 5 to 10 years, undercutting oversight, public comment, and revisions. Ryan submitted an amendment to this bill which would’ve prevented any increase in the discharge of pollutants in our waters. Republicans unanimously voted against this amendment twice, leading the amendment to fail. 
• H.R. 6009 reduces the fee that big oil companies are required to pay before securing a lease to drill on federal lands.
• H.R. 1121 prohibits the President from placing a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on federal lands and undercuts the executive branch’s authority to regulate the practice. The President is already prohibited from halting fracking on state and private lands. 

This week, Congressman Ryan’s Hudson River Protection Act to permanently ban barges from anchoring in and polluting the Hudson River passed out of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Creating jobs and delivering climate resilient investments:

Congressman Ryan has fought for investments in climate resiliency that create quality jobs, reduce energy costs for local businesses and families, and protect the environment. Ryan delivered IRA funds for Port Jervis to employ local youths for a Green/Tree Corps and to expand Kingston’s urban forestry program. He also secured IRA funds for Sheely’s Walden Car Wash and Laundromat to reduce its energy costs by installing a solar array and delivered $4 million in federal funds for local workers to remove the decrepit Holden Dam on the Quassaick Creek in Newburgh.

Strengthening unions:

Congressman Ryan proudly fights for unions. He is a cosponsor of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act and the No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act. Ryan also signed a letter calling for the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and

Science Act investments to prioritize union jobs. Ryan has regularly met with Hudson Valley unions, including hosting local labor leaders for roundtables.

Fighting for clean water, air, and soil:

Congressman Ryan has amassed a record of taking on big corporations to protect the environment. He recently helped clean up crews identify and remove toxic lead cables abandoned by AT&T and Verizon and has made repeated calls for the telecommunications companies to publicly disclose the location of their cables that are shedding lead into the environment. Ryan has fiercely battled against “forever chemical” PFAS contamination, including introducing the landmark PFAS Action Act and cosponsors the Department of Defense PFAS Discharge Prevention Act. He has made repeated calls for the Department of Defense to accelerate its cleanup of PFAS contamination at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh.

Congressman Ryan also demanded that General Electric (GE) conduct a full cleanup of PCB pollution in the Hudson River and called for Holtec to stop its plan to dump radioactive waste into the Hudson River. 

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