Pelosi, Bipartisan Congressional Delegation Travel to China

May 23, 2009

Pelosi, Bipartisan Congressional Delegation Travel to China
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Contact: Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami, 202-226-7616
Anchorage, Alaska - Speaker Nancy Pelosi and bipartisan leaders of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming will travel to China during the Memorial Day District Week Period, focusing on opportunities that will help create clean, sustainable energy policies.
"The urgency of the global climate crisis requires that critical choices be made now that are bold and based on the clearest understanding of how to achieve our goals of preserving the planet and protecting the health of the world's people," Pelosi said. "Climate change provides a crucial opportunity for dialogue between our two nations."
The delegation members landed yesterday in Anchorage and visited the Alaska Native Heritage Center, where they heard from Native Alaskans who are on the frontline of the effects of the climate crisis. The Native Alaskans said global warming is affecting their culture, habitat, and way of life, from villages crumbling into the sea, to lakes drying up, to possibly losing the iconic salmon.
The members of the congressional delegation, all experts on issues related to clean energy and the environment, include:
- Speaker Nancy Pelosi
- Congressman Edward Markey (D-MA), Chairman, Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming
- Congressman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), Ranking Member, Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming
- Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
- Congressman Jay Inslee (D-WA)
- Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA)
The delegation has been invited to engage in China with national and local government officials, business leaders, students, and environmentalists on many aspects of the U.S.-China relationship, including climate change, clean energy, the global financial crisis, human rights, and international trade.