U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., who led the U.S. House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis when the Democrats controlled the chamber, held a virtual town hall last week to “provide an update on extreme weather patterns and events that occurred this summer in the Tampa Bay area, and cost-saving solutions to reduce electric bills.”
Castor joined WFLA Meteorologist Jeff Berardelli in the town hall. The congresswoman pointed to “a summer of record-breaking heatwaves and other extreme weather fueled by pollution, like Hurricane Idalia,” and she weighed in on it after the event.
“Weather events are becoming more extreme and frequent, and it is costing us. We are paying $40 billion alone this year in weather-related costs. It’s smart policy to reduce climate pollution, reduce costs, and become more resilient over time all while creating good-paying American jobs,” said Castor.
“With the Inflation Reduction Act, America is building new ways to utilize renewable energy resources. We can fight climate change by lowering costs, creating good-paying jobs and upholding our moral obligation to provide our children and future generations a livable planet,” she added.
“Weather patterns are changing in the United States and the world,” said Berardelli. “The Inflation Reduction Act is so tremendous, that other countries are competing with us. With this bill we are creating a cleaner environment and making as much progress as we possibly can. Failure is not an option.”
