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‘More fired up than ever’: House energy coalition reaches milestone of 100 members in 15 years

Rebecca Barnabi

The leaders of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) announced that, for the first time in its 15-year history, SEEC has grown to 100 members.

Leaders include Co-Chairs Reps. Doris Matsui, Mike Quigley, and Paul Tonko, Vice Chairs Reps. Don Beyer of Virginia, Matt Cartwright, Sean Casten, Chellie Pingree and Katie Porter, and Chair Emeritus Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia.

“We are so pleased to announce SEEC has grown to 100 members strong. This is a testament to both the growing recognition of the centrality and ascendancy of the climate, clean energy and environmental movement, as well as SEEC’s value to its members,” the leaders said in a statement.

The SEEC is a coalition of 100 members of the U.S. House of Representatives that was founded in January 2009 to be a focused, active and effective coalition for advancing policies that address climate change, promote clean energy innovation and domestic manufacturing, develop renewable energy resources, create family-sustaining clean jobs, protect our nation’s air, water and natural environment, and promote environmental justice.

“In the 15 years since former Reps. Jay Inslee, Steve Israel and 34 colleagues founded SEEC, our coalition has played a crucial role in ensuring Congress takes meaningful action on the defining challenge of our times: climate change. We have also made consequential progress in cleaning up the pollution in our air, our water, and our communities, while also protecting the environment that surrounds us all. From helping secure the clean energy incentives in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 shortly after our founding, all the way up to fighting for the environmental cleanup wins in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 and the historic climate investments in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, SEEC has been on the frontlines every step of the way.”

Members of the SEEC come from a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and parts of the country, but share a core value to create a cleaner and more prosperous future for Americans and the planet.

“While we’ve made extraordinary progress in the past couple of years, we know there remains much, much more to do. But we’re more fired up than ever and our growing ranks inspire us to push even harder for our vision of a cleaner world.”

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca J. Barnabi is the national editor of Augusta Free Press. A graduate of the University of Mary Washington, she began her journalism career at The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star. In 2013, she was awarded first place for feature writing in the Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Awards Program, and was honored by the Virginia School Boards Association’s 2019 Media Honor Roll Program for her coverage of Waynesboro Schools. Her background in newspapers includes writing about features, local government, education and the arts.