Peter Gets to Work on Energy and Environmental Issues

Peter,s first act as Congressman was to introduce for final passage the New England Wilderness Act, which preserves over 40,000 acres of land as wilderness. This was the first bill signed into law under the new Congress.

As promised during the campaign, Peter also became an original co-sponsor of the Safe Climate Act, legislation written by former Senator Jim Jeffords that provides concrete steps and verifiable benchmarks to make sure that America addresses the pressing issue of global climate change. On the same day Peter co-sponsored that legislation, he announced an initiative to make his office carbon neutral through conservation and the purchase of Vermont-based offsets. He has also authored legislation that allows members of Congress and federal agencies to use their budgets to off-set their own carbon emissions so Congress can serve as an example of change.

Recently, as a member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Peter questioned former Bush administration official Philip Cooney, the individual who was largely responsible for the muzzling of NASA scientist James Hansen, an expert on climate change. To read the Rutland Herald article about the committee hearing, click here.